Oldest Zoo In World Set Marks International Chameleon Day With Specimens Found In Man’s Luggage

The oldest zoo in the world is set to celebrate International Chameleon Day by showing spectacular images of these incredible creatures that they’re helping to conserve.

Dozens of the specimens in the zoo’s collection were rationally confiscated from a man’s suitcase after he flew through Vienna airport planning to sell on the black market.

Officials from the Schoenbrunn Zoo in Vienna, Austria, shared images and videos that show the chameleons being tempted by tasty insect treats and flicking up their long tongues in order to catch them and swallow them down.

Zoo director Stephan Hering-Hagenbeck said in a statement obtained by Newsflash: “We recommend also stopping by our Mount Kenya three-horned chameleons.

“After their winter vacation behind the scenes, they have returned to their terrarium at the giraffe park.

“For example, you can easily observe how chameleons move their eyes independently of each other to keep an eye on their surroundings.”

The event, initiated by Wildlife Madagascar, a conservation group dedicated to protecting the lands and forests of Madagascar, aims to raise public awareness about the conservation of chameleons and takes place tomorrow on 9 May.

One-third of the 200 chameleon species globally are at risk of extinction, said the director, and emphasised that their greatest threats are habitat loss, climate change, and illegal trade.

Hering-Hagenbeck added: “Under the leadership of curator Anton Weissenbacher, the commitment and expertise of the team of keepers makes it possible not only to nurture the animals, but also to breed them later.

“In this way, we are building reserve populations outside of the chameleons’ natural habitat, which can contribute to the survival of the species, some of which are highly endangered.”

In January 2021, the zoo provided a home for 74 rare chameleons that were brought there after customs discovered them while X-raying a man’s suitcase.

Police at the time reported that a man who was initially travelling from Tanzania via the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa had collected the lizards from the Usambara Mountains in East Africa.

He had reportedly intended to sell them on the black market for EUR 37,000 (GBP 30,900).