Educating the public on chameleons - RAAD

thephotoprincess

thephotoprincess

Avid Member
We had the opportunity to take part in the Reptile and Amphibian Appreciation Day at the Los Angeles Museum of Natural History yesterday.

It was quite eye-opening. I was asked hundreds (literally, no exaggeration) of times why the chameleon I was holding was green and not the color of my hand or my shirt or the branch it was sitting on. People seriously do believe that chameleons do change to the same color/pattern as what ever they are on, even if it is hot pink or plaid or polka dots.

There were probably a couple thousand or more people there - it was non-stop all day. We were the only ones there with chameleons and it was nice to see everyone excited about seeing them. Our table was next to the LA Zoo table and even they were coming over to see them and take photos.

Of course we took our most charming chameleons and they did not let us down. They were superstars. We were able to share with many people of all ages that they are not Pascal or Rango and have special and specific care needs.

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Yeah, Houston is a snake city. When i did an expo a cpl of weeks ago. I had ppl that were herpers asking me if my nosy faly was real? Did i paint him? If he could change into any color? Im doing my best to try and educate the ppl of Houston and Texas that chameleons are not just going to drop dead if you look at them and they arent the fragile creatures they are made out to be. Yes, you need to take care of them and have proper husbandry in place. But if you take the proper care and watch your animals closely for any signs that something may have changed. Then chams can be as hearty as any other reptile. Its just that they cant take the lack of care or inattention that some of the other reptile species can and bounce right back.

Kudos to you and your goal of education. We need more ppl willing to teach and spread the wealth of knowledge theyve obtained.
 
Thank you - we were happy to have the opportunity.

Its just that they cant take the lack of care or inattention that some of the other reptile species can and bounce right back.

That was the point we really pushed. Not that they are impossible, just not as forgiving.
 
Reptile and Amphibian Appreciation Day? That sounds RAAAAAAD........:eek::D
Seriously though, good work - looks like everyone had fun and learned stuff too.
 
thephotoprincess said:
Thank you - we were happy to have the opportunity.

Its just that they cant take the lack of care or inattention that some of the other reptile species can and bounce right back.

That was the point we really pushed. Not that they are impossible, just not as forgiving.
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Yeah I joined The East Texas Herp Society. So I hope i change some ppls misgivings and misinformation about chams here locally.
 
I wish we had events like that nearby, the Museum of Science in Miami was great for that kind of thing. I worked there for years as a volunteer in the wildlife section but didn't have any reptiles of my own at that time, now I wish I could have taken my critters to the reptile day they help every year. Although as it stood, I still got to educate the public about reptiles, but mostly the snakes and tortoises the museum kept.
 
EXCELLENT thing to do, and kudo's to you for taking an active part to educate the public on chameleons. It does seem sorta funny that people have certain pre-concieved ideas about chameleons. I would say that there is a nationwide deficit as to what people really know about them that are actual facts.

Again...........Thank-YOU for doing your part to change that. :):):)
 
thats so wonderful! im really glad people learned about these beautiful animals. all thanks to you!
 
the PhotoPRINCESS is a dude???????? :confused: lol

you guys did a cool thing, i'd be stoked if i was shown chameleons when i was a kid. that female veiled didnt bite no fingers off?????? lol she looks gorgeous and nice content colors :)
 
ChameleonsInMyHouse said:
the PhotoPRINCESS is a dude???????? :confused: lol

you guys did a cool thing, i'd be stoked if i was shown chameleons when i was a kid. that female veiled didnt bite no fingers off?????? lol she looks gorgeous and nice content colors :)
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haha ... no, I'm not a dude but I'm married to a dude!!

and no, no fingers were bitten off - she is a sweetheart and was calm and content bright green all day, even being surrounded by kids and commotion. She even showed off her long tongue for everyone happily eating while having people and cameras watching her every move.
 
thephotoprincess said:
haha ... no, I'm not a dude but I'm married to a dude!!

and no, no fingers were bitten off - she is a sweetheart and was calm and content bright green all day, even being surrounded by kids and commotion. She even showed off her long tongue for everyone happily eating while having people and watching her every move.
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lol good thing to know! :)

she sounds like a sweetheart of she was like that with a such a young, and heafty sized crowd. wish kiwi was like that, i'm nervous holding her sometimes. i swear that thing is bipolar & skitz
 
Really cool. Last Friday, my son wanted me to bring chameleons to his classroom. His teacher and I talked about it and I explained what we'd bring. We've done this last year as well and the kids absolutely love it. I really like educating kids and showing them something that gives them that thrill of discovery. I miss that feeling! When I was a kid, there was nothing better than making discoveries. Looks like you guys had a good time and you certainly did your community a favor by it. Great job!
 
Woah you are a dude? Wierd name if thats the case! Just kidding I read above but that was my first thought. How did you hook up this outreach?
 
thanks everyone! we are glad we had the opportunity.

How we got involved - I saw an ad in the back of Reptiles Magazine announcing it and thought it might be fun to go to. Then I thought no, we should be part of it, can't hurt to ask. So I did, they said yes, and we went!

RAAD is a yearly event they put on with displays, speakers and activities. There are a lot of snakes, tortoises & turtles, conservation groups. We were the only chameleons. We took a few different species for display but Oozle is the only one with the temperament to meet the public up close.
 
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