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Animals

Croatian Misunderstands Chameleons

April 6, 2007 at 11:59 AM | 0 Comments

With the amount of reptile smuggling going on in the world at the moment, you'd really better check your neighbor for wriggling slimy things on your next flight. This week a Croatian man nearly got away with importing 175 chameleons from Thailand, but he got caught in Croatia's capital, Zagreb.

This clever Croatian guy bought the chameleons for about $150 in Bangkok, and was assured that he wouldn't get caught because they could change their color to fit any situation. Customs officials would never see them.

Two problems: some started wriggling and officials wondered why his bag was moving; plus their magical abilities were also in question:

The chameleons were dehydrated and distressed from the flight, and as a result had lost their ability to change colour.

The guy had hoped to resell them (market value in Europe: around $200,000), but he's been charged instead, and should spend some time learning up on biology before his next trip.

[Photo: wgdavis]

Related Stories:
· Croatia Stops Smuggling 175 Chameleons [UPI]
· Travelin' With Crocs [Jaunted]