Man tries to smuggle chameleons in socks
Aman attempted to smuggle 74 protected chameleons through an Austrian airport by hiding the animals in socks and empty ice cream containers in his luggage. The man was caught at customs control in Vienna after travelling from Tanzania via Ethiopia. After authorities confiscated the colourful reptiles, the chameleons were taken to Vienna’s Schönbrunn Zoo, but three of the animals sadly did not survive. The zoo identified all of the chameleons as originally being from the Usambara Mountains in Tanzania.
People regularly harvest Tanzanian chameleons from the Usambara Mountains to sell in the exotic pet trade, but not all do so legally. Legal trade of the animals requires a permit, and authorities limit the number of chameleons that can be collected and exported. The animals face rampant habitat loss, so if too many chameleons are taken from the region, they could ultimately be driven to extinction.
Most chameleons are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which requires various certificates to legally trade the animals. For illegally stowing chameleons in socks and ice cream tubs, the man caught in Vienna will face a fine of up to around €6,000 (£5,300 or $7,270). The zoo did not note which species of chameleon the man tried to smuggle, but said they ranged from one-week olds to full-grown adults.