LUFKIN, Texas (KTRE) - The Ellen Trout Zoo is mourning the loss of a beloved staple of its menagerie.

Rajah, a male komodo dragon who was a familiar presence at the zoo for nearly two decades, died Tuesday, weeks shy of his 28th birthday, the zoo announced.

Hatched at the Miami MetroZoo in 1998, Rajah arrived at the Lufkin zoo in March 2008.