Earn Sh1m a year with chameleon farming

By Lillian Kiarie

Kenya: Admittedly, chameleons are not the easiest reptiles to get along with, but they can make you rich. So if you come across one, before you fling it away as far possible, consider its financial benefits.

“One chameleon fetches about Sh2,000. If a farmer reared 500 chameleons a year, he or she is likely to earn Sh1,000,000 a year,” said Vincent Buyangu, the marketing manager at Buyangu Farm.

Mr Buyangu said the demand for keeping chameleons as pets has soared, particularly in  countries such as the US, Spain, Portugal, Japan, Netherlands, England, South Korea and Germany.

High demand

“The story that chameleons are harmful creatures is just a myth. With high demand and low supply in the country, chameleon keeping is a goldmine,” Buyangu added.

The beauty of this venture is that it requires minimal start-up capital.

And it there is little competition. As of mid last year, Kenya had registered just five chameleon farmers, while Tanzania has just over 40 farmers. Madagascar leads in chameleon farming, with average sales of 66,500 chameleons from five different species, according to statistics from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

Four years ago, David Njue, an Embu resident, set up a chameleon farm at his Kithegi home in Embu West district, with the help of an investor, Van Willegen, from Holland.

He started by collecting chameleons from Aberdare ranges, Mt Kenya and Taita Hills, and to date rears four different species of chameleons:1999 Jacksonii, 1351 Hoehneli, 557 Fisheri and 817 Eliotti.

He exports them to US, Japan and parts of Europe where they are kept as pets.

Multiply

“We started with 400 chameleons and since then, they have continued to multiply with one chameleon producing nine to 15 young ones. The critical thing is finding the market for the chameleons, so you have to get into contact with other chameleon farmers to know how to go about the exporting process,” Mr Njue said. 

Globally, the commonly kept species include Jacksonii, Pardalis, Calyptratus, Quadricornis, Melleri and Deremensi.

Jacksonii (or Jackson’s chameleon), popular for its big size, is the predominant breed in Kenya and is commonly found in Central Kenya around Kagumo, Kerugoya and Meru.

It thrives well in areas where seasonal rainfall exceeds 127 cm per year, and day time and night time temperatures range between 16oC-27oC and 4oC-18oC, respectively.

Adult Jackson’s chameleons males are light emerald green with vaguely defined yellow along the throat, shoulders, flanks and crest scales. The females body colour varies from grey to green to dark olive.

Getting started

So what do you need to venture into chameleon farming?

According to Kenya Wildlife Service Embu and Kirinyaga District Warden Cornelius Muoka, you must apply for a permit from KWS offices or stations and indicate how you plan to carry out the venture.

KWS officers will then visit you and survey if you have the right space and facilities to rear chameleons before the chief licensing officer issues a permit.

Chameleons tend to die in cold seasons, so you need proper cages, with plenty of ventilation, that maintain heat.

Place the cage where you are growing plants as this will help maintain humidity levels.

Also, cage them in a place that attracts insects they can hunt, or else provide them.

Note that chameleons are cannibals, with male chameleons feeding on their offspring, so keep the young separated from the adults as soon as they are born.

As in the wild, chameleons are unable to drink still water. They drink dew from leaves, so water should be provided in a way that resembles rain drops or dew on leaves. You can do this by misting nearby leaves a minimum of three times a day.

You can breed chameleons by mating them, incubating their eggs or rearing neonates — their young ones. Chameleons take about two years to attain sexual maturity. After mating, the female retains the eggs and gives birth three months later to 12 to 40 neonates. They may produce another brood six months later.

To export chameleons, you must get legal export and import papers. You will need approval from KWS and to fulfil CITES and export requirements of the destination countries to obtain these papers.

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