Chameleon returns home after rescue from a power line
Meraxes somehow left enclosure in June; woman says he was stranded for at least three days
A chameleon rescued from power lines in Daly City on Wednesday is back in the arms of his owner.
Geneva Buerer reunited w ith Mera xes, named for one of the dragons in “Game of Thrones,” after contacting the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA. Buerer saw a story in this newspaper about the shelter rescuing a chameleon from where it had been stranded on a bundle of power lines and immediately recognized him.
“Oh yeah, I knew right away it was him,” Buerer said Saturday.
Mera xes apparently spent three days stranded on a bundle of power lines before a woman noticed him and called the Peninsula Humane Society.
Three days on a high w ire is not hin g for Meraxes, who in “Game of Thrones” lore was a shedragon ridden by Queen Rhaenys Targaryen during Aegon’s Conquest. The chameleon had been missing from his Daly City home for almost five months.
Meraxes somehow escaped from his greenhouse enclosure in June. Buerer and her husband, Bryan Haupt, looked for him for many weeks before deciding that he had met an untimely fate. They had hatched Meraxes from an egg and his loss was a hard one for the couple.
Buerer and Haupt have
a special affinity for chameleons. Meraxes is one of six the couple are raising in their Daly City home. They also have a Youtube channel called Jungle Dragons, where they give advice and instruction on raising chameleons.
Meraxes is about 1½ years old and is a panther Tamatave chameleon, which are native to the islands of Madagascar. When he’s most content, he’s a combination of lovely Christmas colors, Buerer said.
Beurer said they aren’t sure how Meraxes managed his escape. The chameleons are normally kept inside, but on warm days, they are allowed to enjoy life in the greenhouse for a few hours.
Although chameleons are amazing predators, Buerer said she was surprised he had managed so well on his own in the suburban jungle. It could be, Buerer said, because he never left the neighborhood and probably avoided crossing streets. He was found just a few doors down from his home.