Can anyone ID the Tanzanian chameleons in this article

@JacksJill not sure if this will help you id it but Chris Anderson shared this post to the chameleon Enthusiast fb group from this FB page. https://www.facebook.com/IUCNchameleons

IUCN SSC Chameleon Specialist Group​


Three news articles (links below) from today about a confiscation in Vienna, Austria of 74 chameleons being smuggled into Europe from Tanzania earlier this week by a 56-year old Czech man. These chameleons consist of at least 10 species with a suspected market value of nearly €37,000. From the photos published in these articles, species included Kinyongia matschiei (Endangered), Rhampholeon acuminatus (Critically Endangered), Rh. viridis (Endangered), Rieppeleon kerstenii (Least Concern), Trioceros dermensis (Least Concern), T. laterispinis (Endangered). The perpetrator is expected to receive a €6,000 fine...
- https://www.zoovienna.at/.../geschmuggelte-chamaleons.../
- https://www.bmf.gv.at/.../zoll-stoppt-tierschmuggler.html
- https://www.krone.at/2324091
 
@JacksJill not sure if this will help you id it but Chris Anderson shared this post to the chameleon Enthusiast fb group from this FB page. https://www.facebook.com/IUCNchameleons

IUCN SSC Chameleon Specialist Group​


Three news articles (links below) from today about a confiscation in Vienna, Austria of 74 chameleons being smuggled into Europe from Tanzania earlier this week by a 56-year old Czech man. These chameleons consist of at least 10 species with a suspected market value of nearly €37,000. From the photos published in these articles, species included Kinyongia matschiei (Endangered), Rhampholeon acuminatus (Critically Endangered), Rh. viridis (Endangered), Rieppeleon kerstenii (Least Concern), Trioceros dermensis (Least Concern), T. laterispinis (Endangered). The perpetrator is expected to receive a €6,000 fine...
- https://www.zoovienna.at/.../geschmuggelte-chamaleons.../
- https://www.bmf.gv.at/.../zoll-stoppt-tierschmuggler.html
- https://www.krone.at/2324091
This angers me so much! It is bad enough to take wild animals illegally, but to take Rhampholeon Acuminatus (Critically Endangered) is completely messed up. They are my all-time favorite species and I would love to work with them one day, but I would never think about getting wild-caught individuals without following all the regulations, recommendations, and quotas put in place by the home country and the IUCN. They are a red-listed species that need protection before they can enter the pet trade again. Hopefully, these individuals make it back to the breeding project in the U.K @ the Paignton Zoo.
 
This angers me so much! It is bad enough to take wild animals illegally, but to take Rhampholeon Acuminatus (Critically Endangered) is completely messed up. They are my all-time favorite species and I would love to work with them one day, but I would never think about getting wild-caught individuals without following all the regulations, recommendations, and quotas put in place by the home country and the IUCN. They are a red-listed species that need protection before they can enter the pet trade again. Hopefully, these individuals make it back to the breeding project in the U.K @ the Paignton Zoo.
Yeah it was pretty shocking to read. Honestly I did not recognize the names of most of them and could not tell which ones were what. Except the T. dermensis. It was the only one I actually could id. People are pretty awful. What we are capable of is quite sad.
 
Found this on BBC https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55795655
It is an article about smuggled chameleons and has two pictures of different (?) species.
@Motherlode Chameleon

This incident has been posted all over the Facebook groups. The two species in this article are Trioceros deremensis and Kinyongia matschiei. I have always been one to say that keeping wild specimens in captivity is a privilege of accomplished conservation. That means Endangered species do not belong as exports in their currents status as their species as Endangered with immediate extinction.

Best Regards
Jeremy A. Rich
 
There are some exceptions to this rule I want to make apparent. Sometimes to save a species you have to study them. That means a scholar or a zoological institute may legally import Endangered species to learn about the species of concern to save them or start captive breeding populations. I have heard of some of these babies from these types of imports or breeding programs making there way into hobbyists hands. I am not talking about finding a loophole to import specimens that came from smuggled Endangered species. The idea or gist is they have to be positively contributing to significantly reversing the Endangered status of the species in the wild/native habitat.

There is a Plowshare Tortoise breeder in Ojia, California whom has acquired specimens through this means.

https://www.turtleconservancy.org/news/2018/8/conservation-center-updates

Best Regards
Jeremy A. Rich
 
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