![]() ![]() Khaleesi the Komodo Dragon, named after Mother of Dragons Daenerys Targaryen, has moved to the zoo in time for May half-term visitors. London Zoo has welcomed its latest arrival, and Game of Thrones fans are sure to be impressed. Many visitors who have been coming to the Zoo for years are curious to know whether we are planning to reestablish our social group and add our adult male Luke (who just turned 14 years old) into the mix with our adult females Naba (15 years old), Shera (14 years old), and his daughter, Amahle (5 years old).Khaleesi has joined the Attenborough Komodo Dragon House at London Zoo. ![]() In fact, we were a bit taken aback by what little interest they showed in one another! Although we did several rounds of introductions between Luke and the girls, it was clear that being in the same enclosure was not enhancing their quality of life. In years prior, Naba would get so excited whenever we put her and Luke together. Now, though, she just doesn’t respond to him in the same way whenever they are face-to-face. However, what is fascinating is that she will respond to Shaka and Jumbe, our five-year-old males, the way she used to respond to Luke. It makes sense when you think about it - the prime for a male lion is between 5 and 10 years of age. We have not ruled out the possibility of doing reintroductions again down the road. But, for now, we’re taking our cue from them, and it’s clear from their behavior that they are not interested in mixing and mingling. Those who have been following our lions may remember that Luke is currently undergoing deep-tissue laser therapy, electroacupuncture and dry-needle acupuncture treatments for a lesion on his spine, which was causing a limp in his right forelimb. I am happy to report that since we began these treatments in spring 2018 we have seen significant improvement in Luke’s gait!Īs Luke’s primary keeper, I work closely with the Zoo’s veterinary team to administer these treatments. Thanks to our positive reinforcement training program, we do not need to put Luke under anesthesia for the deep-tissue laser therapy portion. To reinforce his good participation, I reward him with meatballs.Ībout twice a week, he will calmly lay next to the mesh of his enclosure as I massage his shoulder with the probe. Now that Luke and I have established a routine, I’m looking forward to teaching these techniques to my fellow keepers so they can assist with this treatment. ![]() ![]() It’s a big undertaking - but an exciting one!Īlthough Naba and Shera are moving into their senior years, they are still in pretty good shape. Naba moves more slowly and carefully at times, but we have not seen anything that has concerned us. They seem to be healthy and doing quite well for their ages!Īmahle’s personality is exactly like that of her mom, Shera, when she was 5 years old. She was very quiet as a cub and, along with her brother Jumbe, was often the last to hit the big milestones, such as tasting meat or participate in husbandry training. But, ever since her two half-sisters received a breeding recommendation from the Species Survival Plan and moved to another zoo, Amahle’s personality has changed. In her prime, we can see her rising to the role of alpha female, even though mom and Aunt Naba are still very much in charge. Of all the lions, Amahle is the most playful. The items we offer our great cats are very similar to the toys you would buy for your domestic cat - just on a very large, heavy-duty scale! True to her ‘alpha’ personality, she makes it a point to be the first to play with the toys we offer for enrichment. Usually Amahle and Shera hog the special treats and toys in the yard, and Naba waits patiently until they give the item up. I’m not sure I’m very good at convincing our visitors that Naba could take these things for herself if she wanted to. One day, I happened to be saying just that to a visitor a few seconds before Naba demonstrated just how alpha she was! Amahle didn’t even put up a fight. Naba has the sweetest personality, but I love the moments when she reminds the other lions that she’s still the queen bee around here.Īmahle is very attached to her toys, so much so that trying to get her weekly weights is often a challenge. We weigh the lions every Thursday morning. One week, I had such a tough time getting her to leave her favorite boomer ball that, eventually, she just took it with her on the scale!įor whatever reason, that is always the time she wants to play the most. ![]()
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