Dougie Poynter from McFly meets Komodo dragon at London Zoo

A Komodo dragon at London Zoo has welcomed a musical guest in the form of McFly’s Dougie Poynter.

The pop band’s bass guitarist visited Ganas, a 13-year-old Komodo dragon, at the zoo to launch its new “Komodo Dragon Experience”.

The species, which is considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature is the largest lizard on earth.

Poynter prepared food for Ganas before hiding meat inside logs and holes in the enclosure.

“It’s incredible to be able to get up close to such an amazing species and get stuck in behind the scenes at London Zoo,” Poynter said.

“Given there are fewer than 1,400 adult dragons left in the world, this is a great opportunity to learn more about wildlife and how we can care for them.”

Poynter was joined by zookeeper Joe Capon, who said: “We’re launching our Komodo Dragon Experience today and we’re thrilled to have Dougie here to help us.

“We’ve treated Ganas to a scent trail and a meaty meal, and Dougie has helped us encourage Ganas to use his razor-sharp teeth and tremendous strength to eat his food, in the same way his species would hunt large prey in the wild.”

The zoo’s new Komodo Dragon Experience will be available from November 26 and will feature a behind-the-scenes look at the species.