Thursday Brew with Gwen: MEET DRAGO

MEET DRAGO

By

Gweneth Leane

‘Look that’s a lizard isn’t it, sitting on the guide’s shoulder?’ The children stared in fascination and amazement, having never seen such a creature before. Drago is an Inland Bearded Dragon and looks like a miniature dinosaur. He doesn’t look very handsome and is downright fearsome when he puffs out his and body and beard.

People, who have recently taken a tour of the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Gardens, Port Augusta, on Fridays, would have had their tour co-hosted by Drago sitting on the shoulder of his owner Mrs. Jenny Broadwood of Port Augusta.

Jenny cites an incident when a couple, members of a camera club in Victoria booked a tour of the Garden.  When she arrived with Drago on her shoulder, he instantly became a film star.  The Garden was forgotten.  On another tour, a family with five children were fascinated by Drago.  They clustered around Jenny and wanted to know, ‘Does he bite?’   ‘Can we pat him?’ ‘Why doesn’t he run away?’ ‘What’s his name?  Drago is short for Dragon.

BECOMING A TEAM

Jenny and Drago teamed up countless years ago when Jenny was living on a farm near Quorn.  Mr. Ron Hilder, the farmer, knew of Jenny’s love for the wild things and brought her the young lizard with a broken back. ‘Do you want to try and bring him back?’ he asked Jenny.  ‘He’ll die otherwise.’

With tender loving care from Jenny, Drago survived, although one leg is slightly impaired.  It was Jenny’s dream to return Drago to the wild but with a back leg out of action, she realized he would never make it by himself. Jenny kept Drago pampering him.

As soon as autumn arrives, Drago looks to sleep the winter away.  Jenny has prepared a shoe box with carpeting and soft material and shredded paper.  When Drago burrows in the paper he is placed in the wardrobe until warm spring days dispel winter cold and Drago is back to his entertaining best when days are long and hot.

IMPECCABLE MANNERS

Every inch the gentleman, when Drago is inside he seeks out Jenny when in need of the toilet, she takes him outside and soon everyone is happy.

Drago’s diet consists of meal worms, bits of liver and kidney, mushrooms and squash.  The times he loves most is being able to hunt slaters and other crawlies when Jenny goes out to tend her many plants and pot plants.  But Drago didn’t love it when he swallowed a black wasp.  It bit him on the way down and he had to be rushed to the Vet. 

‘It was the first lizard the Vet had ever treated and he had to look up his books.’  Jenny can smile now but she didn’t laugh at the time, she was sure she was going to lose her best friend. Drago received an injection in his tail and he lived to tell many more tales.

Jenny wrote to Doctor Harry to prove that Drago is the exception to the rule.  Dragons are supposed to have a lifespan of ten years but Jenny thinks, ‘He’s good for many more years yet.’ As it turns out, Drago is still going at age thirty. He is a credit to his kind and Jenny’s pampering.

 Jenny has recently become a volunteer guide at the Garden.  She loves the outdoors and tour guiding is just ‘The best thing I’ve ever done.  I love it. It’s wonderful out there.’

Drago agrees.