Cape Dwarf Chameleons (Bradypodion pumilum) are classified as near-threatened. Their habitat is rapidly giving way to urban and agricultural expansion. In the Greater Hermanus area, chameleons are squeezed into undeveloped urban plots between houses. A heart-wrenching incident spurred the WCC Chameleon Rescue Project: a fun outing to spot chameleons turned to horror when bulldozers flattened the vegetation where we had spotted almost 100 chameleons.

A volunteer chameleon monitoring and rescue group was immediately formed. We conducted a pilot project to ascertain whether the chameleons can be successfully relocated. A total of 120 at-risk chameleons were carefully captured and relocated to an approved site. Each chameleon was documented and photographed before release. The success of this relocation was monitored for a year. Twice a month, the chameleons were recaptured, photographed and released. The results were promising and indicated that it is possible, though not desirable, to rescue and relocate B. pumilum.