Sheldon S. Shafer

@sheldonshafer

The Louisville Zoo's sole Komodo dragon, a 23-year-old male affectionately called "Big Man," died Tuesday, the zoo has reported.

He was the second-oldest Komodo dragon in captivity in America; the oldest one is at the Honolulu Zoo.

The zoo hopes to get another Komodo dragon fairly soon, said Louisville Zoo spokeswoman Kyle Shepherd in an interview Wednesday.

Big Man arrived in Louisville from the Cincinnati Zoo in 1994. Shepherd said he was originally named Mariah in honor of the Cincinnati Zoo's herpetologist’s daughter. But soon keepers determined the lizard was not a female and began referring to him as Big Man.

In April 2016, keepers noticed the nearly 8-foot lizard had difficulty moving. After the veterinary staff consulted with a local veterinary neurologist and a veterinary surgeon, it was determined that the lizard had a profound weakness affecting all four limbs. A compressive spinal cord lesion high in the neck was suspected, a problem seen in other Komodo dragons in North America and Europe.

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Initial treatment was effective but the condition recently stopped responding to steroid therapy and a surgical treatment was not considered a feasible option. "Given his inability to move ... zoo staff made the difficult animal-welfare decision to humanely euthanize" the creature, Shepherd said. Post-mortem investigation is planned.

Komodo dragons are named after one of the Indonesian islands they inhabit. They are considered "vulnerable" and their population is in decline, due largely to their limited range They are the largest species of lizard.

Meanwhile, the zoo has announced the arrival of Digger and Riggs — two new warthogs. The two males join the zoo's other warthog, a 15-year-old female named Molly.

Shepherd said the two 1-year-old males "are already gaining fans, although they’ve only been on exhibit a few days."

Digger and Riggs were born at the Erie Zoo in Pennsylvania.

Warthogs have what appear to be large warts on the sides of their faces that serve as shock absorbers, and their eyes are located high on their foreheads. They have keen hearing and an exceptional sense of smell. Warthogs are found in most of Africa south of the Sahara.

Reporter Sheldon S. Shafer can be reached at (502) 582-7089, or via email at sshafer@courier-journal.com.