The Akron Zoo’s female Komodo dragon, Draco, recently passed away on Sunday, Jan. 8. Draco’s care team observed that she was lethargic, and the zoo’s vet team ran tests. Despite medical intervention, Draco passed away.
A necropsy, which is an animal autopsy, was performed and showed that Draco had a reproductive complication called egg yolk coelomitis, which typically has a high mortality rate in female Komodo dragons.
Draco was 12 years old. She was born on Oct. 6, 2010 at the Denver Zoo and moved here to the Akron Zoo in May 2012.
“Draco was a truly special member of the Akron Zoo family,” said Kathleen Balogh, animal care manager at the Akron Zoo. “She had an exceptionally trusting relationship with her care team, which allowed us to develop innovative and outstanding care practices that will be shared with other Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accredited facilities.”
The zoo’s male Komodo dragon, Padar, will remain in the zoo’s Komodo dragon habitat daily.