The Dragon, the City, and the Staked Path Home

In the midst of the hustle and bustle of a big city, Surabaya Zoo (KBS), a conservation institution owned by the Surabaya City Government, holds a story that is not widely heard: the quiet effort to maintain the sustainability of the Komodo dragon or naga, Indonesia’s pride as a prehistoric reptile. Behind the neatly arranged cages and measured care systems, a long breeding process takes place that demands meticulousness, knowledge, and patience. From a space far from its original habitat in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), the city of Surabaya, East Java, has grown into one of the important nodes for Komodo conservation at the global level.