Malaga city nature parks give new life to three pairs of chameleons

Amid the everyday noise, a heart-warming piece of news emerges, one that almost brings a smile to your face. This Thursday, in Malaga city's Parque Clavero, three pairs of these reptiles began a new life. The risks are considerable, from cats and other predators to being run over, yet the programme is a success.

Malaga city council's department of environmental sustainability is promoting the recovery and breeding of common chameleons for reintroduction into their natural habitat. Since its launch in 2011, the conservation programmed has provided care to 1,156 specimens.

Life offers these animals a new chance. Two were admitted to the biodiversity control centre with injuries they had sustained in road accidents. The other four were taken in and nursed back to health at the municipal facilities, located at the Cepam (municipal animal protection centre), as they had been found outside their natural habitat.

The councillors responsible for environmental sustainability and the Este District, Penélope Gómez and Carlos Conde, attended the animals' release, which follows on from the release of six other specimens in Monte Las Erizas (Virreina Alta) this past June.

Furthermore, 65 chameleons were reintroduced last year, the same number as in 2024, while a further 69 were reintroduced in 2023. It is worth noting that during this same period (2023-2026), the biodiversity control centre has recovered, rescued or received a total of 197 chameleons, in addition to the 61 born and reared in captivity, achieving a survival rate of 91.5 per cent among the 258 specimens.

The biodiversity control centre is responsible for caring for and treating injured animals or those in poor health and subsequently helping them acclimatise in a semi-wild environment before proceeding with their reintroduction into the wild.

Two key criteria determine the location choice: the animals' area of origin and the characteristics of the habitat that will host them. In this case, the aim is to bolster existing populations in order to increase not only the number of specimens but also the species' diversity and genetic variability.

Furthermore, in recent years, releases have been carried out in the city's forest parks, which are establishing themselves as suitable ecosystems for these populations.

Workers from the chameleon recovery centre visit the site to assess the suitability of areas that could provide a habitat for common chameleons, as well as to evaluate potential risks to the species.

For this latest release, the Hacienda Clavero forest park has been deemed a suitable site for the introduction of specimens.

All specimens at the biodiversity control centre have a medical record detailing the treatment they receive. The most significant conditions affecting these recently recovered chameleons have been eye problems and tail injuries.

Generally speaking, the most common issues are dehydration and emaciation (due to captivity), superficial burns, injuries from being run over and poisoning (from herbicides and insecticides).

The work of this municipal service focuses primarily on five areas: caring for injured and/or confiscated specimens; acclimatising recovered specimens prior to reintroduction; breeding and rearing in captivity; reintroduction into natural habitats; and the environmental education programme on biodiversity.

Through talks and guided tours, this programme raises awareness of the chameleon as a unique species, explains the main threats they face and raises awareness of the need to play an active role in protecting this species and its habitats. Since the project began in March 2011, some 44,800 pupils have taken part in this educational programme.

In addition to the programme's core activities, various initiatives have taken place in recent years, such as the sponsorship agreement with the DAMM business group in 2023 and 2024 and the collaboration with the department of animal biology at Malaga University to monitor common chameleon populations in various areas of the municipality.

Currently, the UMA and the Madretierra association are carrying out a study into the effect that temperature during incubation may have on the sex of common chameleon hatchlings.

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