Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recently went to Komodo with Ravi (www.themonitorspot.com) to help out with a research team with capturing and tagging Komodo Dragons. Hope you guys enjoy the pics.

Some of the pics of the very clean looking dragons were takin in Singapore and Bali.

Thanks for the pics. Where in Singapore are these animal?

Oh I took some at Singapore Zoo and Bali Zoo (the bright clean looking dragons) but the others were taken on Komodo and Gili Motang. The one of the 8ft dragon in the trap was on Komodo.

Why does it help "protect" Komodos by keeping me and other private people from breeding them?

With the right paperwork, private citizens are allowed to breed all sorts of appendix 1 animals. Why have the zoos kept me from being able to own a dragon.

I hear that the zoos have really curtailed their breeding projects because they don't have many zoos to give/sell the babies to.

I want to breed Komodos and I don't understand why I am being prevented from having them. I know that I could do as good a job as the San Diego zoo, and I think that I could match the level of success that the national zoo has had.

How is it "protecting" them by keeping me from working with them?

it' to keep you from getting eaten...

That was a fascinatingly arrogant answer.

I could surely get a permit to breed medium to big cats easier than I could ever acquire legal Komodos and certanly a big cat is far more dangerous than a Komodo will ever be, so your answer can't possibly be the real reason why I am not able to obtain legal Komodos for breeding purposes.

it was meant in jest.

i wonder why???as people keep animales that are just as dangerous...seems to me if you can demonstrate the cageing requirements..as well as a back up plan to take care of the monitors should something happen to you..then i would say the more knowledge the better...i think it's something the bureaucracies just don't have the time or the money to deal with....too bad cause a private keeper might come up with info to help this species....maybe if you got an exhibitors permit...i don't know...good luck....billy

I see it as simple as this. If they made it legal to raise and breed Komodos, then every yahoo with the cash would have one. What would happen when there were no more for sell? People would start smuggling them in to sell them. They are kept illegal to keep us and the smugglers honest. Atleast this is what I think.

Scott
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Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

All you have to do is become an accredited member of the AZA. Which isn't a problem if you have the facilities and staff to care for a Komodo dragon.

See link: http://www.aza.org/Accreditation/

NOTE: One criteria being you are a not for profit or are a foundation organization and will not sell, trade or dispose of animals to non-accredited facilities or individuals.

Once you are accredited and have a proven track record with breeding difficult species, knowledge of the SSP's plans for genetic diversity in the species as well as access to genetically unrelated individuals, then you are all set to breed Komodo dragons in you back yard.

Everything is legal if you know how to go about doing it properly.