Alligators and Komodo dragons featured in new Island Giants exhibit at Turtle Back

WEST ORANGE — An Island Giants Exhibit at Turtle Back Zoo featuring alligators and Komodo dragons in natural habitat-themed spaces has officially opened.

“The new exhibit enables us to provide more indoor and outdoor spaces for our alligators and Komodo dragons and create a more dynamic year-round experience for our visitors to see the animals,” Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr. said. “This is part of our ongoing initiative to continually enhance accommodations for and care of our animals, meet new animal care standards and provide our visitors unique learning opportunities.”

The new Island Giants Exhibit was dedicated to Commissioner Patricia Sebold, whose 30-year tenure on the Board of Commissioners makes her one of the longest serving Freeholders/Commissioners. She also has served as the Commissioner’s representative on the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund Advisory Board since its creation in 1998.

“I want to make sure that the people who have given so much to Essex County are recognized for their contributions,” DiVincenzo said. “Pat is deserving of this honor because of the solid representation she has given to the people of Essex County as a Commissioner and Advisory Board member. It’s fitting that we name an exhibit at Turtle Back after Pat because of her longtime support of the Zoo and our parks.”

Island Giants features two exhibit spaces that have both indoor and outdoor areas for animals. Turtle Back’s Komodo dragon, named Shu, has been relocated from his quarters inside the Reptile Center to one of the new outdoor exhibit areas. Next to Shu in the indoor exhibit area are Aldabra tortoises.

Peaches, Turtle Back’s alligator who was temporarily moved to the Bronx Zoo during construction, has returned and is occupying the other outdoor exhibit space. Next to Peaches in the second indoor space are tomistoma, a genus of crocodilians who are named Chevy, Checkers and Forrest.

The old alligator exhibit was opened in 2003 and needed to be updated to meet current standards set by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The exhibit is designed to resemble a bayou-type shed with a weathered wood surface on the outside. The pool for the alligators has a split view so visitors can see the animals when they are underwater and when they are floating about the water level.

The expanded exhibit also provides Turtle Back Zoo with enough space to host two alligators instead of the one it currently has.

The Komodo dragon was welcomed in 2012 at Turtle Back Zoo, which at the time was the only zoo in the Tri-State area to have the reptiles on display. The Komodo dragon has been the marquee animal housed in the Reptile Building.

The new exhibit has a southeast Asian theme; the building has a thatched roof and is landscaped with reeds. There is also a sandy area which is similar to the native habitat of the Komodo dragon. The expanded space allows Turtle Back Zoo to increase the number of Komodo dragons on exhibit from one to two.

Improved accommodations for both the alligator and Komodo dragon will enable Turtle Back Zoo to participate in the AZA’s Species Survival Program, which is a breeding program to strengthen the populations of endangered species.

“The World of Water is the thematic area of the zoo that allows us to highlight some of the species and ecosystems most influenced by water. It provides a platform for us to discuss the importance of water conservation to our planet’s health and survival,” Turtle Back Zoo Director Jillian Fazio said. “The new habitats within Island Giants demonstrate our commitment to protecting these vulnerable coastal species around the world.

Our mission is to connect our guests and awake them to the realities that threaten our planet. These new habitats will assist us in the mission,” she added.

  Turtle Back Zoo, West Orange