Good karma for chameleons
● In a world full of rhino warriors, elephant rangers and big-cat defenders, one conservationist is looking out for the little guy that hates to be seen.
For 14 years, leather worker Aldo Kleyn’s home has been a sanctuary for the Knysna dwarf chameleon. The swivel-eyed reptiles have taken over his life.
More than 300 chameleons are housed in Kleyn’s rehabilitation centre. Some are missing hands or limbs; some are blind and some are being treated after ingesting poison. Kleyn spends four hours each morning hand-feeding the injured ones.
“At the moment there are just over 100 which need daily care. Once they are rehabilitated they are released back into the wild,” he said.
He spends “thousands” a month on his patients. Each chameleon has its own netcovered ficus tree, which cost between R400 and R800 each. They eat special chameleon food imported from Europe, where they are commonly kept as pets.
Kleyn’s wife of 20 years, Cilla, said her husband spends most of his time with the little dragons. His obsession was prompted by a traffic accident they witnessed just after moving to Knysna from New York in 2005.
“We were watching as this amazing chameleon crossed the road when — wham! — a car ran it flat. I raced into the road and picked it up. It turned black and died in my hand. That’s where it all began,” said Kleyn.
The Knysna dwarf chameleon is listed as of “least concern” on the 2018 International
Union for Conservation of Nature red list of threatened species — unlike its cousins the Natal midlands dwarf chameleon, Eshowe dwarf chameleon and Pondo dwarf chameleon, which are listed as endangered — but Kleyn has observed that since the 2017 Knysna fires the population in the area has decreased significantly.
Wits zoology professor Graham Alexander agrees. “This is probably due to a combination of climate change, habitat transformation and the pet trade, which is largely illegal,” Alexander said. “Chameleons are very sensitive to environmental changes so are a great indicator of a healthy ecosystem.”
Reptile photographer Tyrone Ping said: “The major threat to chameleons across SA is the loss of habitat. This is not just chameleons but most reptiles in SA.”
Krystal Tolley, principal scientist at the South African National Biodiversity Institute in Cape Town, said reptiles are as vital as any other member of an ecosystem. “It’s like a brick wall: a certain brick does not have a special function in the wall, but remove enough bricks and the wall collapses.”
Kleyn said he receives frequent requests from tourists who have heard about the chameleons and want to see them. “Europeans especially love chameleons,” he said. The sanctuary is not open to the public but Kleyn has plans for a visitor centre that will help raise awareness of the creatures’ plight.
Besides shrinking habitat and pet trafficking, electric fences and household poisons are also contributing to the disappearance of the Knysna dwarf chameleon. But at least one man is determined to change this.