Chamaeleo calyptratus, Alcudia, Balearic islands, Spain

Repeat escapee chameleon found in Alcudia

By Donna Leanne Bradley-Brown • Published: 22 Aug 2024 • 15:35 • 1 minute read

Alcudia residents and visitors were shocked to see a chameleon confidently mingling with the tourists and locals last Friday afternoon.

In a curious event on Friday, August 16, a chameleon was spotted casually traversing a pedestrian crossing in the middle of the afternoon in the Port of Alcudia. At around 15:00, the Local Police were alerted by a delivery man and immediately dispatched to investigate. They headed straight to the location, the Avinguda de Pere Mas i Reus – which is one of the busiest main streets in the town, and were able to collect the chameleon and take it to the local Municipal Centre of Social Services for safe keeping whilst a hunt for the owner began.

Deciding that the best way to spread the news of the discovery was via social media, a photo of the chameleon was shared across Facebook sites and rapidly became a topic of great interest, fascination and excitement, with hundreds of people commenting and sharing the post. Within half an hour a young woman contacted the police to claim ownership of the chameleon, explaining that it had escaped from its terrarium in her home six months before.