Myth 89: “Killing Invasive Chameleons Is Fun”
It is not fun. Such an attitude is insane—especially when combined with lack of respect, intoxication, or outright cruelty.
Let us decipher the whole phenomenon:
Natural Chameleon Range
Chameleons naturally occupy only:
Africa and adjacent islands
Madagascar and adjacent islands
Two Mediterranean islands (Cyprus and Samos)
Arabia
Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka
All other territories where chameleons are found today are due to human intentional or accidental introduction.
Feral Chameleons
Thanks to humans, chameleons have been introduced to a series of countries:
Sometimes intentionally (for fun, for wild harvesting)
Sometimes accidentally (escapees, abandoned specimens after hurricanes, or unwanted pets)
In some territories, they have built stable, reproducing populations—sometimes thriving and expanding, sometimes struggling. In certain cases, they are considered invasive species.
A complete list of feral populations can be found here:
Chameleons.info – Feral Chameleons
Examples:
Harmless and protected: European populations of Chamaeleo chamaeleon (Malta, Spain, Portugal, Italy) and C. africanus (Peloponnesus, Greece).
Incidental escapees: Most of Europe and North America, where winters kill them before long-term populations can form.
Problematic populations: Certain countries and territories where they thrive and disrupt ecosystems.
Invasive Species
Definition: An invasive species is a non-native organism that spreads rapidly and causes harm to local ecosystems, biodiversity, or human interests.
Examples of invasive chameleons:
C. calyptratus and F. pardalis in Florida
T. jacksonii xantholophus and C. calyptratus in Hawaii (declared eradicated, but individuals still found)
C. calyptratus in the Canary Islands and Taiwan
Eradication of Invasive Species
By logic and law, invasive species must be eradicated to protect ecosystems.
But eradication is not as easy to do as it is to say.
Technical Constraints
Chameleons are secretive, masters of camouflage.
They inhabit inaccessible areas (swamps, thickets, private properties).
Even if adults are removed, eggs can remain in soil for months and restart populations.
Ethical Constraints
It was never their choice to be introduced. They are innocent, simply surviving as programmed by nature.
Responsibility lies with humans, not the chameleons.
Ethical Euthanasia
If eradication is necessary, it must be done ethically, painlessly, and quickly.
Collection, temporary keeping, and transport must respect the animals.
Euthanasia must follow strict legal and humane standards.
Good Alternatives
In some cases, collected feral chameleons can be kept alive and sold as pets.
Florida: Laws allow or ignore this practice.
Hawaii: Strictly prohibited, yet paradoxically thousands of Hawaiian Jackson's chameleons are sold monthly in mainland USA.
Ethical Euthanasia Shortcomings
This is not easy to write—my heart bleeds and my eyes fill with tears. Evidence shows humans can be cruel.
Terrible eradication methods include:
Injecting slow-working venom that destroys the liver over hours or days
Suffocating in plastic bags due to overheating and lack of oxygen
Drowning in boxes with ice (sometimes involving school students)
Beating or stepping on them to death
Insane Animal Cruelty
Videos on YouTube and Facebook show intoxicated individuals collecting chameleons in sacks or mesh cages, torturing dozens of specimens squeezed together, fighting and injuring each other to death.
These acts are shared online for "fun."
Such people should not get likes—they should face court and jail for cruelty.
Final Appeal
Please understand what is going on.
Act against insane cruelty.
The cry of tortured chameleons can shake the heavens.