Confused Komodo dragon at S'pore Zoo eats stuffed toys, staff pull them out of its stomach with hands

A regular day for a Komodo dragon at Singapore Zoo took a strange turn after it ate two plush toys that wild macaques threw into its enclosure.

At risk of it becoming a medical emergency, staff subsequently removed the toys — by hand — from its stomach.

The incident was shared in a Mar. 2, 2026 video on Mandai Wildlife Reserve's Instagram account.

Wild macaques

Heng Yirui, deputy vice-president of veterinary healthcare and scientific programmes at Mandai, said that the journey began with a few wild macaques.

They'd apparently found a sealed bag which contained stuffed toys, and decided to "take these toys and hurl them all over the place".

Some landed in the enclosure of the rather bemused Komodo dragons.

Ate toys

Unfortunately, Mario, one of the Komodo dragons in the enclosure, got "very excited" about what was going on around it.

"Komodo dragons are ambush hunters," said Heng.

The amount of movement and activity in its den piqued its interest and it "instinctively went for these toys".

Though Komodo dragons may regurgitate or vomit out things they eat and do not like, Mario did not do so for 24 hours after it ate the toys.

As a result, the veterinary team was concerned that the situation could become a life-threatening emergency for Mario if the toys passed down its intestinal tract and caused obstructions.

Medical concerns

The team first placed a gastroscope down into Mario's stomach in an attempt to retrieve the plush toys, but only managed to pull out threads.

After 90 minutes of trying, the team became "rather desperate" and decided to use their hands.

"Trust me, it is difficult to grab onto these toys with all your might," said Heng, adding that he only managed to pull out the first toy.

"I was so fatigued I had to ask for help for the second toy," he said.

The team's efforts eventually saw both toys being retrieved from Mario's stomach by hand, which meant the Komodo dragon did not have to undergo surgery.

Following this, Mario passed faeces, which was a relief for the team as this showed that Mario did not have intestinal obstruction.

Coexist

The video, which has since garnered over 7,000 likes, was one of the most peculiar scenarios Heng's team has had to deal with, he said.

He added that the team has to be well-prepared to deal with emergencies and unexpected situations that may occur anytime.

"Knowing that the macaques call Mandai home too, and that we really share the same space with them, drives the importance of us learning how to coexist with our local wildlife."

Top photos via mandaiwildlifereserve/Instagram