Japan Arrivals Taro's Male Komodo Next Week, Exhibited At Higashiyama Zoo And Botanical Gardens

Komodo illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/ZiemowitJ)

JAKARTA - The Nagoya City Authority on Monday announced that a Komodo dragon, the world's largest lizard and endangered species, will be placed in a zoo in central Japan.

The repile, a 13-year-old male named "Taro," will arrive in Japan on July 18 and will be on display at the Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens starting late August, the city's authorities said.

"We finally managed to bring (the Komodo dragon) here after intense negotiations. Please look forward to it," Nagoya Mayor Takashi Kawamura told a news conference, according to Kyodo News July 8.

During its election campaign, Kawamura has pledged to introduce animals that attract attention, such as the Komodo dragon, to the zoo.

The Singapore Zoo, which already houses the giant lizard, decided to move it due to a lack of room after receiving female Komodo dragons for breeding purposes.

Taro, which is owned by the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, will be loaned to the Higashiyama zoo.

Komodo, a native Indonesian species and designated as endangered animals by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, can grow up to more than 3 meters in length and weigh more than 160 kilograms.

Komodo had previously been exhibited in Japan at the Ueno zoo and the Sapporo Maruyama Zoo in Hokkaido, according to the Nagoya City Authority.