Acta Scientific Veterinary Sciences (ISSN: 2582-3183) Volume 4 Issue 10 October 2022 Keeper-Dragon Behavioural Differences in Two Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis) Brothers During Training Giovanni Quintavalle Pastorino 1 , Yitzhak Yadid 2 , Daniele Pintus 2 , Massimiliano Di Giovanni 2 , Alice Cavalleri 1 , Richard F Preziosi 2 and Anita Hashmi 1,3 * 1 School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom 2 Fondazione Bioparco di Roma, Rome, Italy 3 Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom *Corresponding Author: Anita Hashmi, School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom. Research Article Received: September 08, 2022 Published: September 12, 2022 © All rights are reserved by Anita Hashmi., et al. Abstract Personality in non-human animals is a vast area of research, yet many papers focus on that of mammals or bird species. Many reptile species show complex behaviour but have been historically overlooked in favour of mammal and bird studies. Due to this, reptile species have frequently not received behavioural management such as enrichment, including through training within captive settings, despite their potential level of cognition. Training sessions prepare animals for situations such as routine veterinary proce- dures in addition to acting as enrichment. To assess the use of training sessions in reptiles, it is important to understand their cogni- tive and behavioural capabilities. This small pilot study acts as a case study, examining the personality and cognition of two Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis) through video analysis of training sessions and personality questionnaires issued to zookeepers. We also assess the utility of personality questionnaires in a reptile species and the potential effect of intrinsic factors such as keeper per- sonality and sex on their responses. The results display the plasticity of Komodo dragon behaviour and the utility of training through evidence of willing compliance with training regimes. Keywords: Conservation; Enrichment; Komodo Dragons; Personality; Training Introduction Personality in non-human animals, or temperament, has been an area of research interest for some time and spans several topics including neuroscience, psychology and ethology. Personality has been investigated across domestic and non-domestic species and information about an individual’s personality may be applied to resolve practical issues, for instance assessing suitability for train- ing as working dogs [1-3] or predicting outcomes of conservation interventions such as reintroductions in situ and creating breed- ing pairs ex situ [4-9]. Assessment of personality can be conducted using methods such as scoring behaviours during direct observa- tion (the ‘coding method’) and the use of questionnaires rating be- havioural traits filled out by caregivers (the ‘rating method’) [10]. Often, results from these tests are highly correlated [11]. However, occasionally the rating method has been shown to be slightly more reliable with regards to inter-rater reliability and so is frequently the sole method used in personality research [10,12]. In non-do- mestic animals, much of this research has been conducted in cap- tive populations, with some examples from in situ animals. A stan- dard questionnaire has been adapted and validated across several mammalian and bird species, including lions (Panthera leo) [12- 15], tigers (Panthera tigris) [16,17], great tits (Parus major) [18- 20] and penguin species [21], with other taxa largely understudied. DOI: 10.31080/ASVS.2022.04.0508 Citation: Anita Hashmi., et al. “Keeper-Dragon Behavioural Differences in Two Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis) Brothers During Training". Acta Scientific Veterinary Sciences 4.10 (2022): 03-12.