SINGAPORE, March 3 — A komodo dragon at the Singapore Zoo has survived an unusual medical scare after vets were forced to reach into its stomach to remove two plush toys swallowed during a burst of mischief involving local macaques.

According to Singapore-based media organisation AsiaOne, the incident was captured in a video shared by Mandai Wildlife Reserve on Instagram yesterday, where deputy vice-president of veterinary healthcare and scientific programme Dr Heng Yirui described the drama as a “peculiar case”.

He said keepers first noticed macaques rifling through a sealed bag that someone had left within reach. 

“The bag did not contain valuables, but there were a few stuffed toys in it, and the mischievous macaques thought it would be funny to take the toys and hurl them around,” he said.

The commotion drew the attention of Mario, a male komodo dragon. 

“Komodo dragons are ambush hunters, and the fact that there were lots of activity and movement in the den piqued his interest and he instinctively went for these toys,” Dr Heng said.

Normally, such reptiles vomit or regurgitate items they cannot digest. 

But when Mario showed no sign of doing so even a day later, vets feared the toys could slip into the intestinal tract and cause a dangerous obstruction. 

A gastroscope was inserted in an attempt to remove them — but only a few threads could be retrieved.

It was only 90 minutes into the procedure that the team decided on a more hands-on approach. 

“Trust me, it is difficult to grab onto these toys with all your might. I could only manage to pull out the first toy and was so fatigued that I had to ask for help for the second,” Dr Heng said. 

Both toys were eventually pulled from the dragon’s stomach.

The next day, Mario passed faeces — a moment the team saw as confirmation that there was no intestinal blockage.

Dr Heng also urged visitors to remember that wild animals, including macaques and colugos, move freely around the zoo grounds. 

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