@snowleopard: This looks like an interesting dragon exhibit in that there seems to be more water than land surface. Perhaps the photo does not show the full extent of the land? Did you like this exhibit? Where are your favorite Komodo dragon exhibits?
Two excellent komodo dragon exhibits that stand out for me are the ones at Disney's Animal Kingdom (large and extremely lush and on my visit the dragon was splashing away in the watery moat) and Columbus (lots of mock-rock but still a great exhibit). Denver has one of the nicest indoor exhibits and it is fairly large, and Phoenix just opened 2 new dragon habitats that are both quite nice. In regards to Akron's exhibit there is slightly more land than what is shown in this photo, but I think that the water to land ratio is higher than any other I've seen for dragons. The indoor exhibit is fine but quite curiously the public does not have access to the outdoor area and so I never saw a lizard on my visit! An excerpt from my 2010 review of Akron Zoo: Komodo Kingdom – There are 4 exhibits in this building, as well as 2 larger zones. The 3 enclosures are: komodo dragon with an average indoor exhibit, but there was a sign up saying that the lizard was outside catching “some much needed rays”. The public quite bizarrely do not have access to the outdoor komodo enclosure, which must be a first! Two Galapagos tortoises have a puny indoor/outdoor area that is the smallest that I’ve ever seen for the world’s largest tortoise, and there is a rainforest exhibit that is quite lush and features several species of turtle and stingray. Also, a very small bamboo shark tank is featured near the entrance. The two larger zones are the Komodo Kingdom Café and Jellyfish Hall (“Jellies: Rhythm in the Blue”), which is attractively designed and features about 9 different species of jellies.
The Water to land ratio is 60/40 in favor of land and of dozens of visits to the Akron Zoo including today we have not once seen a Komodo in the water .We have however seen their behind the scenes holding and its fairly adequate for them. Team Tapir
TNT, the zoo's resident Komodo dragon, is not usually in the water. He is not the most energetic Komodo dragon. He usually positions himself in the exhibit when he comes out on exhibit and stays there for a large part of the day. He enjoys watching out the exhibit windows and sleeping. His sister, Contessa, used to go in the water quite a lot. She died several years ago now of a blood infection.
Technically, there is no public outdoor exhibit area. There is a behind the scenes outdoor area next to the exhibit behind the building walls.
Really, which Komodo were you looking at? In all the times I went, TNT didn't exactly move much, nut the 2 new ones are splashing up a storm! Alex a.k.a CMZman
TNT had a sister ? In all the times I went to Akron(2004-today) I never saw his sister. Can someone upload a photo of her please?
