In January customs handed over 70 chameleons to Schönbrunn Zoo, which were taken from a smuggler at Vienna Airport. The reptiles from Tanzania were hidden in socks, dehydrated and full of parasites. How well the animals have recovered from the exertions thanks to the professional care is now once again clear. “Almost every one of the ten chameleon species has now laid eggs with us. In the wild, every one is at risk from habitat degradation and smuggling. The first to hatch was the Nguru dwarf chameleon, which is even threatened with extinction due to its small distribution area,” reports zoo director Stephan Hering-Hagenbeck proudly. Adult Nguru dwarf chameleons are only six centimeters tall. The tiny young animals measure just one centimeter when they hatch. There is also half a centimeter of tail.