Leipzig's zoo celebrates breeding success: Young Komodowaranes from September 27th. Experience live!

Leipzig's zoo celebrates breeding success: Young Komodowaranes from September 27th. Experience live!

In the Leipzig Zoo, you are happy about a remarkable breeding success: Young Komodowarans (Varanus Komodoensis) saw the light of day. These fascinating lizards are the largest living representatives of their kind and can be up to three meters long. The offspring of these majestic animals is not only a rarity in Germany, but also in Europe as a whole. In recent years, she turned out to be a big challenge that only a few zoos succeeds. In Germany, this has only been the second breeding success since 2021, such as leipziginfo.de.

With the reopening of the renovated terrarium on September 27, 2025, at 10 a.m., visitors are given the opportunity to admire the young animals. The new modern building complements the historical ensemble of aquarium and terrarium in the founder garden and houses various habitats for snakes, turtles, alligators and lizards. This is another step to improve the conditions for the zoo animals.

Challenges of breeding

The offspring of the Komodovaranes requires a high degree of knowledge about biologically and ecologically relevant factors. In the Leipzig zoo, a simulation of the egg laying conditions was then carried out in order to reproduce the natural reproduction habits of the animals in the best possible way. In nature, female Komodovaranes often lay their eggs in nests from great foot chickens. In the zoo, however, a special box could be used in which the females could lay their eggs. These eggs were then incubated in an incubator at an optimal 31 ° C over a period of six months. In order to avoid risks such as cannibalism, the hatched youngwarans are kept separate from the adult animals, as tambientente.de.

The initiators of this project, senior curator Ariel Jacken and curator Dr. Till Ramm, emphasize the importance of this breeding success not only for maintenance, but also for scientific knowledge. The Komodovaranes can be found in 33 European zoos and in 108 institutions worldwide, although breeding only succeeds in very few cases. This makes success in the Leipzig zoo all the more remarkable.

Commitment to species protection

The Leipzig Zoo is actively committed to protecting the Komodovaranes as part of the European Conservation Breeding Program (EEP) of the EAZA. In addition, the facility is also involved in the "Wae Wuul Conservation Project" in Indonesia to secure the wild populations of these endangered animals. The living spaces of the Komodovaranes are very fragmented, and the population on the Indonesian island of Flores is considered to be endangered. Threats such as climate change, habitat loss and poaching contribute to this risk.

The breeding success and the presented young comodowarans therefore not only stand for successful breeding work, but also for a strong commitment of the Leipzig Zoo in the area of ​​species protection and research. From Saturday, September 27th, the public can visit the little Komodovarans in the freshly opened terrarium and learn more about these impressive creatures.