St. Augustine Alligator Farm is a neat place with a really cool collection and absolutely worth a trip if you are anywhere in the area. Nice crew of people too (Hi Gen!) As a former zookeeper I can absolutely say that we enjoy watching the animals we care for enjoy new things just as much as the guests do! It's super satisfying to see our animals use their wild behaviors and problem solve or explore.
@Charlie Gusto LLC Whether or not it's ever ethically and morally OK to confine any animal is something anyone who works with them or cares about them should consider. It's a contentious topic where folks with the same information can disagree, and that's ok. For me, generally, yes I am OK with keeping animals in captivity. Modern zoos possess many checks and balances to ensure the highest possible care and welfare is given to the animals they are responsible for. It may be hard to know what an animal is thinking, but modern zoos focus on welfare using a variety of objective measures. They may not be able to ask the animals, but we can measure them non-invasively for signs of stress. Zoos can and do measure things like physical health and nutrition through experienced veterinary teams and routine care, extensive behavior monitoring, how then animals use their exhibits, and even direct monitoring of physical indicators of hidden stress like hormone levels and blood tests. Animals get to express choice through the use of training and enrichment, where they get novel and different things to experience, and they can choose to interact or not. Animals are largely protected from negative situations they would experience in the wild, such as fighting or being killed by another animal, starvation and malnutrition, extremes of weather, and physical injury and accidents, and when an animal does experience a problem, there is an entire team of caretakers, veterinarians, and even more specialized folks to deal with it immediately. Modern zoos prioritize the ethics of keeping animals, and that means that they have policies in place for each species, individual, and situation they could encounter. They also have policies in place for anyone involved, inside or outside the zoo, to raise a concern, and then transparency on how those concerns are documented and addressed. There's so much more I could say, like that modern zoos do very substantial conservation work to save wild animals and wild places, and the love and personal sacrifices zookeepers will make for the animals they care for, but it's probably beyond the scope of your question. Overall, for me, I do think that confining most animals is an OK tradeoff when it means that animal gets medical care, a dedicated care staff, entertainment, choice, exercise, appropriate social groups, a readily available nutritious diet, and protection from the elements, predators, accidents, disease, famine and drought, pain, and old age. And it's OK if someone looks at all of that and still decides that being able to go wherever an animal wants is the only or most important factor in an animal's life (barring the borders on where an animal can go that exist is the wild, like unsuitable habitat, features in that habitat that can't be used by that animal, other species that compete for the same food and shelter, lack of available food, lack of available water, lack of available shelter, human disturbance, territories of other members of the same species, and the presence of predators and disease). We can all look at the same evidence and come to different conclusions and that doesn't make someone mean or stupid or bad, it just means they are probably as smart and caring as anyone else but they have different priorities, and that's OK too.
I've seen Kamodo dragons at London zoo about 13 years ago..I just sat in the window with all the people passing by taking a minute then moving on.. I set in that window.for over and hour.. I only went to the reptiles and Kamodo houses..so so amazing..now.i have to turn my garage and more.of my house to house my beloved Asian Water monitor, Iguanas etc etc..but so worth it.. its an honour to live and work with them all. KENAN ...Slinkys house is epic..after watching this..you beat zoos now..Hats off to you my reptile Brother..Much love and respect from North Devon, England x
My husband suffered all day on his bike yesterday. I just asked him if visiting a Komodo dragon would make him feel better and he said, “Yes! But I mean, from a distance.” 😂
You should be arrested for bringing reptile to our society don’t belong!!! The are dangerous!! You look 👀 crazy and indoctrinate something is abnormal for our climate and Culture! You go places the Komodo living and the cutch you like the eating a big animals alive?! You must enjoy violence !! T This my opinion what is already on the social media to investigate 🔬 I learning English !
After watching some of your previous videos years back at the Alligator Farm I went there and was not disappointed. I made sure to have time to stop by each time I was visiting in FL. Now that I live in FL I am a year pass holder at the farm and stop by every few months. Thank you for introducing me to places like this.
Love it Kenan. You’ve always been a huge inspiration. You helped me with a 360 flip at Woodward back in the day and I strive to keep my reptiles to the same standards as yourself. Thanks so much bud
One of the most AMAZING Animals on the planet!! Got to see an epic, 7' Dragon at the Woodland Park Zoo a few weeks ago in Seattle.... Made the entire trip worth it.....
Komodo dragons were my first interest in reptiles (other than dinosaurs) Steve Irwin did an episode about them and I was hooked! They are so cool! Thanks for an awesome video!
This was incredible to watch but must be awesome to see in person. Seeing these animals on video I find doesn't give me a sense of just how big the animal is in person. Thank you for taking the time to film this Kenan I live in the uk and find that we don't get anything like this unless it's at a zoo and it's just a small area.
Cool to see laceys in the states, they are actually found far south as Sydney well into eastern Vitoria and south western victoria, (and where historically on the outskirts of Melbourne) which makes them the most southerly distributed monitor on earth
That's something you can do for Slinky and the other monitors when they get bigger; stake their large meals to the ground. Might make cleanup a bit of a chore, though.
They're super cool lizards! Def a species that doesn't need to be & shouldn't be in private home collections. That zoos enclosure ect is a great set up for both the dragon & the visitors viewing her!
Wow the precautions they take for that Dragon...what a dream that would be to understand, to learn from. Just seeing it in its groove already makes me respect it more than I already did.
I’m no expert, but I only raised an ornate Nile monitor from 21” to 72” and 45 lbs over 15 years, and may have spent more time with him than any person during that time. From year five(ish) till his death from a respiratory infection during a very harsh freeze we had in Charleston, SC in 2011 from which he did not recover, he was basically free-range in my huge 24’x30’ detached garage. Intelligent is an understatement. I could write a book and some of his habits and incidental actions were jaw dropping. His sight was incredible, and his sensitivity to movement even at great distance was awesome too. I can prove some of these insta cues of his sensitivity to movement as I was often the moving thing but highly diffused through several layers of vision. For instance, washing dishes at the kitchen sink while he was in the back yard foraging in a very thick ground cover bush that was 110’ away at the back of the yard. If I put my hand up in the window a waved, shook, whatever, he would look exactly in my direction, both in a binocular way and from one side, and by my hypothesis was for a discernment of depth. Was he looking at something else? No way in hell. He would resume rooting around under the bush until I waved my hand again. Nothing else around anywhere was moving. And this was a repeat action at any time anywhere. If something moved anywhere in his vision, he would stop what he was doing to look. And that’s just vision. Hearing was great too, and smell? Good god he was good. He could smell frogs in their burrows a foot or more underground, and especially when he was younger and more slender, he would dig away at the ground until half of his body was in the ground. He would invariably come up with two frog legs hanging out of his mouth. These comments on senses have a point. Varanus are SHARP, SHARP, creatures, as we all know, but even at that, over fifteen years of care and observance, his mental acuity was continuously mind blowing. After he died, some friends came over for a round of billiards and mourning. The dragon would often hang out under the table and, I don’t know, he often seemed to like company. More on that later. But one of them commented how he was “off-balance” and “not comfortable” because there was no monster for him to step around while setting up a shot. He was just poking at me to get me to laugh but I jumped up and tackled him onto the pool table and we had a laugh and a little cry and a beer or fifteen and more billiards. THATS what it was like caring for him over those years. People who knew him loved him too. People who were only acquainted with him were respectfully scared of him, which was perfect, as the legend got around and inventory control of my garage was a NON-ISSUE. Ok, my point was that I strongly feel that using the red tape on the stick and then using the forceps to feed was not optimum for a couple of reasons. Not such a BAD thing, but at the very least, mildly distracting. They’ll learn to tag the stick before grabbing the food. Obviously. Also I’d hate for the forceps to accidentally hit them in the eye. They aren’t always ultra precise on their strikes, and it COULD happen, and that’s enough for me to necessitate due care. I ALWAYS used long handle tongs, and let the majority of the food be outside of the tongs, such that the end of the tool never ended up as the lead part. A “mouth full of steak knives” is so true. If they really bite down hard and rip, I’ve seen my guy cut a jumbo rat in half as if by a steak knife, no BS. I also don’t think they need any kind if “red” trigger or anything like that. That’s almost insulting to their vision. If anything, a brown or black or white sock or anything fluffy is a trigger. Sandler, open toe sandals, or shoes removed with socks were forbidden in my garage, even if the dragon was sleeping under the couch. He knew when we were there, even if we didn’t know where he was. He could see under the flap of the couch. And if he saw something that looked like a rat moving around, his discernment went from clarity to instinct, clarity and accuracy be-damned. I don’t think they need the stick at all. But maybe one of those reach-it tongs would be appropriate since they are longer and don’t lock closed like the forceps can. I used to have long nosed wired strippers that locked closed and after the second time dragon ripped a pair out of my hand with a rat stuck in them, well that was th least time I allowed that, as he tried to play keep-away with HIS rat and MY pliers. Just put the prey item in the tongs and give a wiggle, or if there is a breeze or a fan, let the dragon be downwind and they WILL know, quickly. Vision is indeed quickest. But they learn for sure and learn quickly. One more anecdote. From around early May till early October every year, he would scratch at the side garage door by late morning to go outside, and then the same near dusk to go back in. If I kept the door set just right so the catch didn’t latch, he would push the door open and go in. The door could even be left ajar and would just stay in the garage. That was his home. I never left him roaming the yard fully unattended, because whenever I did, especially when he was more trim and agile, he could go to a corner of the chain link fence and climb over it and check things out. Even then he was never more than about 100’ away. Usually in the gardens abutting my rear property line. Those gardens were for the Catholic Church who was my rear neighbor, and there were a few nuns there that one day called me to tell me they found an “iguana” under a fountain in their garden. I jumped the fence to find four ladies oohing and awe-ing over my baby boy. He was stretched out as if it was some kind of fetish centerfold, crushing a couple of lillies and just letting the fountain rain on him, like it was his. And for the moment it was his. I apologized for the lillies and they said don’t worry, and I picked him up and held him and one of them ran for a camera and they all asked for pictures with him. Now I’m crying ya’ll. That lizard was AWESOME!! Maybe I should just go ahead and write the book. Oh, and about desiring company, I don’t know, but I know this. When and if I was gone for more than about 48 hours or so, I would return and would find something, something that I had meticulously set up, cleared, flattened, destroyed. I’m a sound engineer and I always had a small mixer and CD player (remember those) on the corner of the coffee table and some CDs, etc. After a few days of absence he would just clear the coffee table. I had another spot with a soldering station and near it and after a couple of episodes I realized he had easy access to climb up there on some speakers and easily get to that bench. Yeah, I ended that problem. Coincidence? I thought so until the 10 times with the coffee table. It NEVER happened unless I was away for a few days. And he never messed with other things he could have. Only places where I would sit for extended periods to fix things or whatever. There were all kinds of other things he could have done. If it was just getting hung up in cabling, we’ll, there were PLENTY of other opportunities for that. Nope. The cables were always run up to the table and work bench as they had been. He had cleared them from that surface. As if to say, “where in the hell are you? I’m bored. Get your ass back here and interact, but only when I want to. Otherwise leave me alone! But not for THAT long!” I swear to goodness that lizard had a personality, and I’m the first to criticize those who try to anthropomorphize things, especially the non-existent aliens. It’s pretty small minded, narcissistic, and unimaginative to think any otherworldly beings would exhibit bi-lateral symmetry. Idiots. If anything, amoeba-like beings who could build hyperspace light speed dwarfing craft to exploit other beings makes plenty of sense. Yeah, right. STILL anthropomorphizing. But even animals have souls. Never forget that. I learned more about HUMANS by raising that monster than I had ever before I my life. Who is the real monster? Who indeed. Do varanus niloticus plot to destroy varanus salvadorii? I doubt it. Maybe I just haven’t heard about it yet cause I don’t do social media. Is this considered social media. I don’t think so. This format doesn’t get me caught up in vitriol and bullshit. I love dragons and fast cars and efficacy. And a square meal. Rats are my favorite. Wait? What have I become? I am. The dragon.
This one is awesome. Behind the scenes are more ideal for this kind of video. People would be more interested in the care and want to work with the animals in the future. Great work.
At Australia zoo. I've seen them put the food on a cable and two workers pull ot back and forth across enclosure so monitor has to run back amd forth and catch and grab. They do have a video on it out there. It's a very interesting and cool to watch for enrichment. Xxx
You can tell how smart she is by watching how methodical and meticulously she picks up the insides of that rabbit and how she observed and walked around it before eating it. And I think that we even see her purposely using the hook in the end to lock the rabbit in place !
Yea they love using things in their environment to help them eat like I seen one Komodo in the wild using a tree to help ram a whole goat into its throat since they sometimes swallow small animals whole.
I'm born and raised in Ohio (Toledo) and my mom and some family lived in St Augustine for quite a while, every single trip to St Augustine I HAD to go the Gator Farm. Even when some of my cousins would want to go to a place with rides or tourist attractions I instead just wanted to see the farm lol, I loved that place and can't wait to go again. I remember how massive Gomek was. Man I miss that place. And that dragon is awesome! 👍
I went to the St. Augustine Alligator Farm at the start of July, it was amazing! Just wish the day wasn't so hot, my parents weren't able to enjoy it as much as I was.
This was amazing!! I’m obsessed with Komodo dragons 🦎 I saw a Komodo dragon at a zoo once but it was sleeping lol thanks for hooking up this close up action! 🦎🎸
I remember being face to face with a Komodo at Colchester zoo here in the UK, only glass between us. Such an amazing animal, and the experience was mind blowing
That baby broad snout caiman was so cute🐊 amazing how smart those animals are.... cool to see the behind the scenes stuff... definitely need a point on the end of that rebar would be much more effective n human... yes gloves probably woulda been smart to wear... all that fur in my mouth would drive me crazy
Also Kennan your point about how smart komoado dragons are a few years ago i was watching the taronga zoo facebook live thing they were doing at the time still to this very day i giggle over the resident kd at the zoo is that much of a smartass it figured o i can climb this tree ( mind u the zoo took the steps to make sure it didn't happen) but it escaped and but luckily didn't get far
That baby broad snouted caiman is adorable. I also see komodo dragon and croc monitors as top monitor lizard species. I would love to work there or at any reptile place
Impressive target training with Victor the Lace Monitor. Obviously an intelligent creature ! And that baby caiman with its broad snout ! Then the "Dragon" Watching her I was reminded of Lagatha ... ripping and threading that rat ! Great Episode!
What an incredible lizard 🦎! Komodo dragons are such impressive creatures, so I'm not at all surprised that they are your dream lizard. But unfortunately they probably won't tame up like Slinky, so if you think about it, he is actually a better choice. But they are amazing to watch when they eat. Enjoy your day. ✌🇨🇦❤🐍🦎🐢🐊🐠🐕
Kennan as a Sydney sider just to carry on with your point of how far the lace monitors go pretty much central coast ( reptile park reference) right down into the blue mountains of Sydney and beyond Facebook Sydney reptile catches you'll see one get caught occasionally
Komodo dragon WHAT…………….….? I thought I saw slinky in the video KENAN they are Gorgeous Giant’s. I love S.W.Crocodiles they have been my Fling ever since my dad at Gatorland showed me one still can’t get over that Elephant Lizard it was massive🐊🍗🐊
Seeing them in the wild on Komodo Island and Flores is awesome, Kenan. We were there in 2017 for a couple of days and were the only small group who was allowed to roam the island freely (with one of the head guides there) and even stayed at night. Except for the dragons we were also looking for Trimeresurus Insularis in green, yellow and blue form... and found all 👌
Sooooo cool. I could only dream of such an experience! Komodos always have intrigued me with their power and grace - just like dinosaurs. But thanks to Keenan, monitors in general especially, the crocodile monitors now...
I loved working at my local zoo. Even though I didn't work with any of the animals officially, I was still able to go behind scenes to see the animals more up close and personal. Even was able to unofficially volunteer to help with some of them. Learned a lot about primates that way and would have loved to be able to become a keeper but you have to have at least a zoological BS to do so there.
it seems as though she is so used to having her food staked to the ground and tearing it backwards to rip peices off, that when its off the stake she now automatically has that feeling of walking backwards instead of using her claws etc like she would do in the wild?
I know that Komodo dragons are very dangerous and not to be fooled with. Call me crazy but I think that they are very handsome. The lace monitor was very sweet.
i had the privalidge of meeting one of the komodo dragons at London zoo, i got a vip invite when my daughter worked there. She had just fed them and i was allowed in the enclosure, it was one of the most awsome moments in my life, i totally forgot to film i was so overwhelmed. she will not be interested in a smaller male, that was one of londons problems
@@lightningbolt9606 I like all animals in a general sense. I'm guessing you're asking which are my favourites? That's really a hard question to answer. Right now I only have a Central American Slider (Trachemys Grayi grayi). She is my favourite at the moment because that's the only animal I have as a pet presently. I have feeder snails as one of her foods, and guppies in the same tank as the snails. It's really honestly very difficult for me to narrow down favourites as I love all animals. Now ask me the same question about people and I could give you a definite list. ; )
@1:33 -- Victor, another animal that reminds me of the weasel from the old Looney Tunes cartoons. The weasel who liked to bug Foghorn Leghorn and once tried to eat Leghorn's leg! 😆
When my family and I go to Disney world the only thing I care about is seeing their Komodo dragon, then the flying foxes, then the bengal tigers. All in processions, at one exhibit area. Like it was an a’ la carte zoo experience! Awesome. Three of my favorite animals on earth. If the great white shark was in the next exhibit I might faint even. I don’t faint but that would be incredible. Sharks are another one of those misunderstood but brilliant animals. Something about giants and intelligence. King cobras, big pythons, but I don’t see it in crocodilians. Not at that level.
One day I hope to make a trip to Komodo and see them in the wild that’s been a dream of mine since I was a kid. But this year coming up I’ll be taking a trip to Africa to film a few monitor species there like the rock monitors and would also like to see some Nile monitors and some large crocs. That’s my ultimate dream trip is see Africa and I’ll be staying there for 2months or so. Africa has some of the toughest reptiles and some of my favorite species I absolutely can’t wait to go. My wife isn’t the most excited about it but I can’t wait to catch and film as many reptiles as possible. Well I wish you the best and hope you have a great day bud 🙋♂️✌️
Monitor's are one of my favorite family of lizards they're so intelligent. Hey Kenan, that's something you should try and do for Slinky, get a steak like that to give Slinky some cool enrichment so he doesn't drag the food around the enclosure! I think that would be really cool to see!!
Watching that dragon walk up to the door gave me chills, so intelligent and so predatory. A true dinosaur.
:)
St. Augustine Alligator Farm is a neat place with a really cool collection and absolutely worth a trip if you are anywhere in the area. Nice crew of people too (Hi Gen!) As a former zookeeper I can absolutely say that we enjoy watching the animals we care for enjoy new things just as much as the guests do! It's super satisfying to see our animals use their wild behaviors and problem solve or explore.
@Charlie Gusto LLC Whether or not it's ever ethically and morally OK to confine any animal is something anyone who works with them or cares about them should consider. It's a contentious topic where folks with the same information can disagree, and that's ok.
For me, generally, yes I am OK with keeping animals in captivity. Modern zoos possess many checks and balances to ensure the highest possible care and welfare is given to the animals they are responsible for. It may be hard to know what an animal is thinking, but modern zoos focus on welfare using a variety of objective measures. They may not be able to ask the animals, but we can measure them non-invasively for signs of stress. Zoos can and do measure things like physical health and nutrition through experienced veterinary teams and routine care, extensive behavior monitoring, how then animals use their exhibits, and even direct monitoring of physical indicators of hidden stress like hormone levels and blood tests. Animals get to express choice through the use of training and enrichment, where they get novel and different things to experience, and they can choose to interact or not. Animals are largely protected from negative situations they would experience in the wild, such as fighting or being killed by another animal, starvation and malnutrition, extremes of weather, and physical injury and accidents, and when an animal does experience a problem, there is an entire team of caretakers, veterinarians, and even more specialized folks to deal with it immediately. Modern zoos prioritize the ethics of keeping animals, and that means that they have policies in place for each species, individual, and situation they could encounter. They also have policies in place for anyone involved, inside or outside the zoo, to raise a concern, and then transparency on how those concerns are documented and addressed. There's so much more I could say, like that modern zoos do very substantial conservation work to save wild animals and wild places, and the love and personal sacrifices zookeepers will make for the animals they care for, but it's probably beyond the scope of your question.
Overall, for me, I do think that confining most animals is an OK tradeoff when it means that animal gets medical care, a dedicated care staff, entertainment, choice, exercise, appropriate social groups, a readily available nutritious diet, and protection from the elements, predators, accidents, disease, famine and drought, pain, and old age.
And it's OK if someone looks at all of that and still decides that being able to go wherever an animal wants is the only or most important factor in an animal's life (barring the borders on where an animal can go that exist is the wild, like unsuitable habitat, features in that habitat that can't be used by that animal, other species that compete for the same food and shelter, lack of available food, lack of available water, lack of available shelter, human disturbance, territories of other members of the same species, and the presence of predators and disease). We can all look at the same evidence and come to different conclusions and that doesn't make someone mean or stupid or bad, it just means they are probably as smart and caring as anyone else but they have different priorities, and that's OK too.
@Charlie Gusto LLC vegans even here?
I've seen Kamodo dragons at London zoo about 13 years ago..I just sat in the window with all the people passing by taking a minute then moving on.. I set in that window.for over and hour.. I only went to the reptiles and Kamodo houses..so so amazing..now.i have to turn my garage and more.of my house to house my beloved Asian Water monitor, Iguanas etc etc..but so worth it.. its an honour to live and work with them all. KENAN ...Slinkys house is epic..after watching this..you beat zoos now..Hats off to you my reptile Brother..Much love and respect from North Devon, England x
Thank you!
@@KampKenan no thank you..for all of it you bring us..and make us want to step our game up.. hats off to you Sir!
My husband suffered all day on his bike yesterday. I just asked him if visiting a Komodo dragon would make him feel better and he said, “Yes! But I mean, from a distance.” 😂
You should be arrested for bringing reptile to our society don’t belong!!!
The are dangerous!!
You look 👀 crazy and indoctrinate something is abnormal for our climate and Culture!
You go places the Komodo living and the cutch you like the eating a big animals alive?! You must enjoy violence !!
T
This my opinion what is already on the social media to investigate 🔬
I learning English !
Sicknesses!!
After watching some of your previous videos years back at the Alligator Farm I went there and was not disappointed. I made sure to have time to stop by each time I was visiting in FL. Now that I live in FL I am a year pass holder at the farm and stop by every few months. Thank you for introducing me to places like this.
Love it Kenan. You’ve always been a huge inspiration. You helped me with a 360 flip at Woodward back in the day and I strive to keep my reptiles to the same standards as yourself. Thanks so much bud
One of the most AMAZING Animals on the planet!! Got to see an epic, 7' Dragon at the Woodland Park Zoo a few weeks ago in Seattle.... Made the entire trip worth it.....
Komodo dragons were my first interest in reptiles (other than dinosaurs) Steve Irwin did an episode about them and I was hooked! They are so cool! Thanks for an awesome video!
Thanks for sharing!
This was incredible to watch but must be awesome to see in person. Seeing these animals on video I find doesn't give me a sense of just how big the animal is in person. Thank you for taking the time to film this Kenan I live in the uk and find that we don't get anything like this unless it's at a zoo and it's just a small area.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Cool to see laceys in the states, they are actually found far south as Sydney well into eastern Vitoria and south western victoria, (and where historically on the outskirts of Melbourne) which makes them the most southerly distributed monitor on earth
You know it’s a great video when we are starting off with lace monitors. Such a awesome video as always Kenan.
That's something you can do for Slinky and the other monitors when they get bigger; stake their large meals to the ground. Might make cleanup a bit of a chore, though.
Another coffee with kenan morning! Life is good
They're super cool lizards! Def a species that doesn't need to be & shouldn't be in private home collections. That zoos enclosure ect is a great set up for both the dragon & the visitors viewing her!
Wow the precautions they take for that Dragon...what a dream that would be to understand, to learn from. Just seeing it in its groove already makes me respect it more than I already did.
Kenan all I kept thinking is how much you wanted to pull that stuck shed off that beautiful animal? I loved this!!!
Right?!
I’m no expert, but I only raised an ornate Nile monitor from 21” to 72” and 45 lbs over 15 years, and may have spent more time with him than any person during that time. From year five(ish) till his death from a respiratory infection during a very harsh freeze we had in Charleston, SC in 2011 from which he did not recover, he was basically free-range in my huge 24’x30’ detached garage. Intelligent is an understatement. I could write a book and some of his habits and incidental actions were jaw dropping. His sight was incredible, and his sensitivity to movement even at great distance was awesome too. I can prove some of these insta cues of his sensitivity to movement as I was often the moving thing but highly diffused through several layers of vision. For instance, washing dishes at the kitchen sink while he was in the back yard foraging in a very thick ground cover bush that was 110’ away at the back of the yard. If I put my hand up in the window a waved, shook, whatever, he would look exactly in my direction, both in a binocular way and from one side, and by my hypothesis was for a discernment of depth. Was he looking at something else? No way in hell. He would resume rooting around under the bush until I waved my hand again. Nothing else around anywhere was moving. And this was a repeat action at any time anywhere. If something moved anywhere in his vision, he would stop what he was doing to look. And that’s just vision. Hearing was great too, and smell? Good god he was good. He could smell frogs in their burrows a foot or more underground, and especially when he was younger and more slender, he would dig away at the ground until half of his body was in the ground. He would invariably come up with two frog legs hanging out of his mouth. These comments on senses have a point. Varanus are SHARP, SHARP, creatures, as we all know, but even at that, over fifteen years of care and observance, his mental acuity was continuously mind blowing. After he died, some friends came over for a round of billiards and mourning. The dragon would often hang out under the table and, I don’t know, he often seemed to like company. More on that later. But one of them commented how he was “off-balance” and “not comfortable” because there was no monster for him to step around while setting up a shot. He was just poking at me to get me to laugh but I jumped up and tackled him onto the pool table and we had a laugh and a little cry and a beer or fifteen and more billiards. THATS what it was like caring for him over those years. People who knew him loved him too. People who were only acquainted with him were respectfully scared of him, which was perfect, as the legend got around and inventory control of my garage was a NON-ISSUE. Ok, my point was that I strongly feel that using the red tape on the stick and then using the forceps to feed was not optimum for a couple of reasons. Not such a BAD thing, but at the very least, mildly distracting. They’ll learn to tag the stick before grabbing the food. Obviously. Also I’d hate for the forceps to accidentally hit them in the eye. They aren’t always ultra precise on their strikes, and it COULD happen, and that’s enough for me to necessitate due care. I ALWAYS used long handle tongs, and let the majority of the food be outside of the tongs, such that the end of the tool never ended up as the lead part. A “mouth full of steak knives” is so true. If they really bite down hard and rip, I’ve seen my guy cut a jumbo rat in half as if by a steak knife, no BS. I also don’t think they need any kind if “red” trigger or anything like that. That’s almost insulting to their vision. If anything, a brown or black or white sock or anything fluffy is a trigger. Sandler, open toe sandals, or shoes removed with socks were forbidden in my garage, even if the dragon was sleeping under the couch. He knew when we were there, even if we didn’t know where he was. He could see under the flap of the couch. And if he saw something that looked like a rat moving around, his discernment went from clarity to instinct, clarity and accuracy be-damned. I don’t think they need the stick at all. But maybe one of those reach-it tongs would be appropriate since they are longer and don’t lock closed like the forceps can. I used to have long nosed wired strippers that locked closed and after the second time dragon ripped a pair out of my hand with a rat stuck in them, well that was th least time I allowed that, as he tried to play keep-away with HIS rat and MY pliers. Just put the prey item in the tongs and give a wiggle, or if there is a breeze or a fan, let the dragon be downwind and they WILL know, quickly. Vision is indeed quickest. But they learn for sure and learn quickly. One more anecdote. From around early May till early October every year, he would scratch at the side garage door by late morning to go outside, and then the same near dusk to go back in. If I kept the door set just right so the catch didn’t latch, he would push the door open and go in. The door could even be left ajar and would just stay in the garage. That was his home. I never left him roaming the yard fully unattended, because whenever I did, especially when he was more trim and agile, he could go to a corner of the chain link fence and climb over it and check things out. Even then he was never more than about 100’ away. Usually in the gardens abutting my rear property line. Those gardens were for the Catholic Church who was my rear neighbor, and there were a few nuns there that one day called me to tell me they found an “iguana” under a fountain in their garden. I jumped the fence to find four ladies oohing and awe-ing over my baby boy. He was stretched out as if it was some kind of fetish centerfold, crushing a couple of lillies and just letting the fountain rain on him, like it was his. And for the moment it was his. I apologized for the lillies and they said don’t worry, and I picked him up and held him and one of them ran for a camera and they all asked for pictures with him. Now I’m crying ya’ll. That lizard was AWESOME!! Maybe I should just go ahead and write the book. Oh, and about desiring company, I don’t know, but I know this. When and if I was gone for more than about 48 hours or so, I would return and would find something, something that I had meticulously set up, cleared, flattened, destroyed. I’m a sound engineer and I always had a small mixer and CD player (remember those) on the corner of the coffee table and some CDs, etc. After a few days of absence he would just clear the coffee table. I had another spot with a soldering station and near it and after a couple of episodes I realized he had easy access to climb up there on some speakers and easily get to that bench. Yeah, I ended that problem. Coincidence? I thought so until the 10 times with the coffee table. It NEVER happened unless I was away for a few days. And he never messed with other things he could have. Only places where I would sit for extended periods to fix things or whatever. There were all kinds of other things he could have done. If it was just getting hung up in cabling, we’ll, there were PLENTY of other opportunities for that. Nope. The cables were always run up to the table and work bench as they had been. He had cleared them from that surface. As if to say, “where in the hell are you? I’m bored. Get your ass back here and interact, but only when I want to. Otherwise leave me alone! But not for THAT long!” I swear to goodness that lizard had a personality, and I’m the first to criticize those who try to anthropomorphize things, especially the non-existent aliens. It’s pretty small minded, narcissistic, and unimaginative to think any otherworldly beings would exhibit bi-lateral symmetry. Idiots. If anything, amoeba-like beings who could build hyperspace light speed dwarfing craft to exploit other beings makes plenty of sense. Yeah, right. STILL anthropomorphizing. But even animals have souls. Never forget that. I learned more about HUMANS by raising that monster than I had ever before I my life. Who is the real monster? Who indeed. Do varanus niloticus plot to destroy varanus salvadorii? I doubt it. Maybe I just haven’t heard about it yet cause I don’t do social media. Is this considered social media. I don’t think so. This format doesn’t get me caught up in vitriol and bullshit. I love dragons and fast cars and efficacy. And a square meal. Rats are my favorite. Wait? What have I become? I am. The dragon.
This one is awesome. Behind the scenes are more ideal for this kind of video. People would be more interested in the care and want to work with the animals in the future. Great work.
At Australia zoo. I've seen them put the food on a cable and two workers pull ot back and forth across enclosure so monitor has to run back amd forth and catch and grab.
They do have a video on it out there.
It's a very interesting and cool to watch for enrichment. Xxx
You can tell how smart she is by watching how methodical and meticulously she picks up the insides of that rabbit and how she observed and walked around it before eating it. And I think that we even see her purposely using the hook in the end to lock the rabbit in place !
Yea they love using things in their environment to help them eat like I seen one Komodo in the wild using a tree to help ram a whole goat into its throat since they sometimes swallow small animals whole.
I'm born and raised in Ohio (Toledo) and my mom and some family lived in St Augustine for quite a while, every single trip to St Augustine I HAD to go the Gator Farm. Even when some of my cousins would want to go to a place with rides or tourist attractions I instead just wanted to see the farm lol,
I loved that place and can't wait to go again. I remember how massive Gomek was. Man I miss that place. And that dragon is awesome! 👍
Bomb Ohio
I loved this video!! Monitors are the absolute best, and obviously the Komodo Dragon is the king/queen!!
Kennan, I am "Very Upset" with you! You have the life, I wish I had!!!! Keep up the "GREAT" Work! 🙂
Thanks! 😃
The dude filming you in the lace monitor exhibit looks like John Hammond from Jurassic Park
Dude @Kampkenan thanks
I especially love videos of Komondo dragons!!
Glad you like them!
I went to the St. Augustine Alligator Farm at the start of July, it was amazing! Just wish the day wasn't so hot, my parents weren't able to enjoy it as much as I was.
This was amazing!! I’m obsessed with Komodo dragons 🦎 I saw a Komodo dragon at a zoo once but it was sleeping lol thanks for hooking up this close up action! 🦎🎸
Tegus aren't bad either
Awesome video! Love Komodos. They are the first monitor lizard I saw in person, and the reason why I love all monitors.
Couldn't agree more!
Kenan needs to see the Kimodos @ toledo zoo! They have an amazing pair!!
two beautiful monitors and adorable baby caiman i love it!
The Komodo Dragon is my favorite animal, absolutely beautiful species of lizard
Listening to the first strikes of that hammer... I thought, "ROCK" .
I remember being face to face with a Komodo at Colchester zoo here in the UK, only glass between us. Such an amazing animal, and the experience was mind blowing
That baby broad snout caiman was so cute🐊 amazing how smart those animals are.... cool to see the behind the scenes stuff... definitely need a point on the end of that rebar would be much more effective n human... yes gloves probably woulda been smart to wear... all that fur in my mouth would drive me crazy
Also Kennan your point about how smart komoado dragons are a few years ago i was watching the taronga zoo facebook live thing they were doing at the time still to this very day i giggle over the resident kd at the zoo is that much of a smartass it figured o i can climb this tree ( mind u the zoo took the steps to make sure it didn't happen) but it escaped and but luckily didn't get far
That baby broad snouted caiman is adorable. I also see komodo dragon and croc monitors as top monitor lizard species. I would love to work there or at any reptile place
Thank you Jenn for making this happen! Love your videos Kamp
You know her? Can she hook me up with one.
Impressive target training with Victor the Lace Monitor. Obviously an intelligent creature ! And that baby caiman with its broad snout ! Then the "Dragon" Watching her I was reminded of Lagatha ... ripping and threading that rat ! Great Episode!
one of the best videos in a long time ❤💯
Thank you for this incredible video! It is absolutely fascinating. Way to go Ron! 👏👏👏
What an incredible lizard 🦎! Komodo dragons are such impressive creatures, so I'm not at all surprised that they are your dream lizard. But unfortunately they probably won't tame up like Slinky, so if you think about it, he is actually a better choice. But they are amazing to watch when they eat. Enjoy your day. ✌🇨🇦❤🐍🦎🐢🐊🐠🐕
This is the dream of everybody! get one Kenan 😁
some day!!!
Yeah you definitely need one or two and I’d even help pay for it just to see you have one because I know I’ll probably never have one 🤦♂️
@@pumpkinchow just subscribed to your channel. Are you captive breeding savannahs? I’ve been wanting another but holding out for uscbb
Kennan as a Sydney sider just to carry on with your point of how far the lace monitors go pretty much central coast ( reptile park reference) right down into the blue mountains of Sydney and beyond
Facebook Sydney reptile catches you'll see one get caught occasionally
We even get lacies here in South Western Victoria
That caiman was really cool looking. And that Komodo dragon was the amazing
Komodo dragon WHAT…………….….? I thought I saw slinky in the video KENAN they are Gorgeous Giant’s. I love S.W.Crocodiles they have been my Fling ever since my dad at Gatorland showed me one still can’t get over that Elephant Lizard it was massive🐊🍗🐊
She is absolutely gorgeous!!!🦎❤️🦎
Kenans got so excited he’s training the dragon trainer
my rabbit disapproves told him not to look lol, just wondering though why she didnt use her claws like your Slinky does ?
I have always absolutely loved Komodo dragons
Seeing them in the wild on Komodo Island and Flores is awesome, Kenan. We were there in 2017 for a couple of days and were the only small group who was allowed to roam the island freely (with one of the head guides there) and even stayed at night. Except for the dragons we were also looking for Trimeresurus Insularis in green, yellow and blue form... and found all 👌
wow! Jealous!
Is it scary to be that close to the dragons there? Are they super aggressive or no?
@@conradkorbol no man, they are pretty relaxed. Only at night we had to be carefull not to wake them.
ua-cam.com/video/Rg3ah0K0ZR8/v-deo.html wow awesome video @David
Sooooo cool. I could only dream of such an experience! Komodos always have intrigued me with their power and grace - just like dinosaurs. But thanks to Keenan, monitors in general especially, the crocodile monitors now...
Hello great video information Kenan
Komodo dragon and Lace monitor. What an awesome episode. (well, they all are to be fair) (:
I'll never forget the first time I saw one at age five and I've been fascinated ever since
Ohhhh my godddd I went to this exact Alligator Farm in Florida and have pictures of that exact Komodo! Absolutely awesome I get to see her again!
So cool!
11:10 Kenan trying to do a Jurassic Park joke 😂❤
I thought that was way bigger than 35lbs! How much does slinky weigh? I thought he was bigger than that!
The komoda dragon is cool, the zoo seems kinda small, so does the enclosure, slinky enclosure is bigger
What a magnificent animal. Being able to watch her feed would be quite the experience.
Are you feed them every day?
I loved working at my local zoo. Even though I didn't work with any of the animals officially, I was still able to go behind scenes to see the animals more up close and personal. Even was able to unofficially volunteer to help with some of them. Learned a lot about primates that way and would have loved to be able to become a keeper but you have to have at least a zoological BS to do so there.
it seems as though she is so used to having her food staked to the ground and tearing it backwards to rip peices off, that when its off the stake she now automatically has that feeling of walking backwards instead of using her claws etc like she would do in the wild?
Great video! Interesting that she doesn't use her claws to help shred her meal like Slinky does.
most of the lizard dont use their front claw to hold down , they should learn from the land tortoises
I know that Komodo dragons are very dangerous and not to be fooled with. Call me crazy but I think that they are very handsome. The lace monitor was very sweet.
Just heard about the storm heading your way... be safe . And I'm glad you have those new hurricane proof windows!
Komodos are my absolute favorite!!!!
Awesome! Thanks for sharing!
Komodos are so cool, I got to see them at one of our zoos here in MN.
i had the privalidge of meeting one of the komodo dragons at London zoo, i got a vip invite when my daughter worked there. She had just fed them and i was allowed in the enclosure, it was one of the most awsome moments in my life, i totally forgot to film i was so overwhelmed.
she will not be interested in a smaller male, that was one of londons problems
The rabbit scene was like Peter Griffin with the frog. It just went on forever🤣.
I was just there a few months ago. Beautiful park all together
Memphis zoo has a 9ft male komodo, they are really impressive in person.
I am wondering is there no water feature in the Komodo's enclosure?
Absolutely an incredible lizard thanks mate loved it
Thanks 👍
That's really nice of them letting us get a sneak peak.👍🏻
Komodo definitely my favorite dragon
Thank you very much for sharing! BTW this video went nearly over half an hour, but it felt like 10 min to watch.
Another great video BIG DOGGIE 💯 👣
Hello. I wish I can visit this area.
8:06 she stopped dead in her tracks because she didn't recognize Keenan. Really cool animal, can't wait till I get to see one.
You should go to gatorland and do a video on that place.
If I was financially able to house and take care of a Komodo, it would be an honor to have one. Beautiful lizards!!!
Which other animals do you like Besides the Komodo Dragon?
@@lightningbolt9606 I like all animals in a general sense. I'm guessing you're asking which are my favourites? That's really a hard question to answer. Right now I only have a Central American Slider (Trachemys Grayi grayi). She is my favourite at the moment because that's the only animal I have as a pet presently. I have feeder snails as one of her foods, and guppies in the same tank as the snails. It's really honestly very difficult for me to narrow down favourites as I love all animals. Now ask me the same question about people and I could give you a definite list. ; )
You need to do some staking for Slinky.
This is awesome! Thanks for sharing 🍻
I want one too how can I get one?
How kool is this?! Awesome watching her eat the bunny.
Awesome video! Komodos are such awesome reptiles.
Agreed!
Mine too! I would love to be able to interact with one.
"If you want a dog get a dog"...LOL...Yes...love your videos!!!
Enjoyed seeing the Komodo. I would of thought she would be more aggressive in her eating style.
@1:33 -- Victor, another animal that reminds me of the weasel from the old Looney Tunes cartoons. The weasel who liked to bug Foghorn Leghorn and once tried to eat Leghorn's leg! 😆
When my family and I go to Disney world the only thing I care about is seeing their Komodo dragon, then the flying foxes, then the bengal tigers. All in processions, at one exhibit area. Like it was an a’ la carte zoo experience! Awesome. Three of my favorite animals on earth. If the great white shark was in the next exhibit I might faint even. I don’t faint but that would be incredible. Sharks are another one of those misunderstood but brilliant animals. Something about giants and intelligence. King cobras, big pythons, but I don’t see it in crocodilians. Not at that level.
Amazing video, thank you very much!
One day I hope to make a trip to Komodo and see them in the wild that’s been a dream of mine since I was a kid. But this year coming up I’ll be taking a trip to Africa to film a few monitor species there like the rock monitors and would also like to see some Nile monitors and some large crocs. That’s my ultimate dream trip is see Africa and I’ll be staying there for 2months or so. Africa has some of the toughest reptiles and some of my favorite species I absolutely can’t wait to go. My wife isn’t the most excited about it but I can’t wait to catch and film as many reptiles as possible. Well I wish you the best and hope you have a great day bud 🙋♂️✌️
Monitor's are one of my favorite family of lizards they're so intelligent. Hey Kenan, that's something you should try and do for Slinky, get a steak like that to give Slinky some cool enrichment so he doesn't drag the food around the enclosure! I think that would be really cool to see!!
He has tied food for them before.
@@stefanostokatlidis4861 I know he has I don't think you read what I said fully. xD But steaking it would be more interesting.
lace monitors come south way past sydney
Bucket list for sure
The komodo is amazing
She's a actually smaller than I expected I've seen absolute monster komodo dragons
☺Love me some dragons 🐉We just bought a new house for our growing Sulcata so she can be just as spoiled as your scale babies!
Is Slinky bigger than that female Kamodo?