POST-DISPATCH (St Louis, Missouri) 16 July 03 Komodo dragon Koko dies; lizard was popular attraction at the Zoo (Todd C. Frankel)
The St. Louis Zoo's Komodo dragon died Monday night, leaving the institution without an example of the world's largest lizard and one of its more popular attractions.
The cause of the death is unknown, Zoo officials said.
The dragon, a female named Koko, was noticed having difficulty walking several days ago, a sign of potential neurological problems.
She underwent an extensive medical exam on Monday. She died shortly afterward.
Koko was 10 years old.
Komodo dragons are prehistoric-looking reptiles that can grow to 10 feet in length and weigh more than 200 pounds.
In their natural habitat in Indonesia, they feed on deer, water buffalo, goats and other animals - occasionally even humans.
Koko measured 7 feet 7 inches and weighed 95 pounds, normal for a female.
She arrived at the Zoo's herpetarium in August 1993, one of a clutch of 17 dragons born at the National Zoo in Washington. It was the first hatch of Komodo dragons outside Indonesia, where the species was discovered in 1912.
Koko was the Zoo's first Komodo dragon since 1933, when a record-size (and improbably named) male known as Minnie the Dragon Lady survived only two weeks on display.
For years, Komodos were rare attractions at zoos. But successful breeding programs begun in the late 1980s have resulted today in there being at least 120 Komodos at 30 U.S. zoos, said Peter Taylor, zoological manager for the Zoo's herpetarium.
St. Louis obtained a second Komodo in June 1994. But concerns about having enough space for two large lizards convinced officials to lend the second Komodo to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Tampa, Fla., in 1996.
Komodo dragons may one day return to St. Louis, Taylor said, but it likely will be in a new, enlarged and dedicated facility.
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