It is World War III for our Eastern Water Dragon males here at the Dome, with both of them fighting for the only female we have here. They persist on getting to each other through the glass border separating them.

This is natural behavior and often occurs in the wild. However some aren’t so fortunate and don’t come out alive. Here in captivity we are able to keep them separated, although recent events put both dragons lives at risk.
We regularly have tourists asking us if the water dragon is supposed to be out of the enclosure. We reassure them every time that he is meant to be out; but only a couple of months ago a tourist took matters into their own hands.

Thinking they were doing the right thing, they picked up the dragon and put him back in the enclosure with the other male dragon. The natural behavior of these lizards then took over and they started to fight. Luckily our staff found them in time and separated them, but unfortunately neither dragon escaped without injury. Our larger male Rocky came out with a broken back leg and a few scratches. The other had a dislocated leg and a few scratches. Rocky has since had his leg in a cast and thanks to the excellent care of our dedicated keepers, has now been released back into his enclosure. Now, there is even more signage warning visitors not to put these 2 water dragons together – they actually are meant to be separated.

It just goes to show – if you are ever visiting a zoo or wildlife park – do not touch the animals unless you have permission to do so, and if you are unsure of a situation, always ask before taking action.