How to conserve your dragon – and avoid losing Australia’s most imperilled reptile for a second time
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- Zoos Victoria built a new dragon conservation centre at Melbourne Zoo that can house hundreds of Victorian grassland earless dragons in open‑air glass condos with plants and PVC burrows.
- Zac Harkin pairs genetically distinct males and females before winter, achieving up to two clutches of ~4 eggs per female, with hatchlings the size of a Tic Tac.
- Garry Peterson aims for a captive population of more than 500 dragons — twice the estimated wild count — to enable reintroductions and safeguard against extinction.
- Melbourne Zoo sits near the historic volcanic plains and grasslands that now cover only 0.5% of their original area, while the last wild cohort survives on a single private grazing lease west of the city.
- University of Melbourne researchers monitor the wild cohort and stress that reliance on one grazing plot makes the species vulnerable to habitat loss.
Why it matters: Zoos Victoria secures a breeding pool of 500 dragons, while the lone wild herd on a private lease faces extinction, jeopardizing ecosystem health and local eco‑tourism.
