The Singapore Zoo has made veterinary history by doing Vacuum Assisted Closure Therapy on a reptile in captivity. This zoo is one of the four wildlife parks managed by Wildlife Reserves Singapore, including the first river-themed attraction River Safari.
The Zoo had three komodo dragons and out of them Yoko became the first reptile to get a breakthrough treatment, which is commonly used to support injury healing in humans.
Last November, Yoko had sustained a 16cm injury to her back while hatching a second batch of eggs. She is a mother of the zoo’s first successfully hatched Komodo dragon bred in Asia. She laid her eggs in an underground burrow, where she stuck herself in a crevice of the cave and consequently sustained abrasions to her spinal region. The damaged tissue started to deteriorate and the open wound was susceptible to possible infection.
Dr. Serena Oh, Assistant Director, Veterinary, WRS said, “We kept infection at bay with daily manuka honey dressings and antibiotics. A major challenge was the nature of the Komodo dragon’s skin”.
Several medical experts were consulted and the team decided to use the V.A.C Therapy, which has been clinically proven to treat serious or complex wounds through the use of negative pressure.
Though, reptiles heal very slowly, but Yoko made great progress in her recovery with the V.A.C. Therapy.