The Salt Rock chameleon hero

With perfectly manicured nails, gum boots, her loyal dog, Bella, and a torch, Karen Golby goes on night walks to save creatures that most of us would not even see.

Chameleons or ground lions, which is the meaning of the original Greek name khamaileon, would call her their superhero, as she goes out two to three times a week to check for the camouflaging creatures on sites that are about to be cleared for development in Brettenwood Coastal Estate.

“I have always had a passion for the little ones and living in the estate has made me realise just how many chameleons there are in the shrubs and trees and the grass and I could not bear the thought of them being harmed during the clearing.”

She said it is easier to spot them at night, as they do not change colour by torchlight, making their little, luminous green bodies hanging onto twigs and leaves easier to see.

“I just have an eye for them. Even the babies, that sway on the grass blades in the wind are easy for me to find.”

She collects between 12 and 20 chameleons of varying ages at a time, carries them back home in a box and leaves them in her bathtub on some branches.

“I name them all and then release them into my garden the next morning and they generally disappear quite quickly, but at least I know I gave them a chance at survival.”

Survival is tough for the harmless reptiles, as they have many natural predators, such as monkeys, snakes and birds.

“Chameleons lay about 50 eggs at a time and only two percent survive, so I just have to help them.”

The type of chameleon that she finds is a Flapped Necked chameleon, which is characterised by small, white, triangular markings on the throat and belly and is found in KZN and other parts of tropical Africa.

So next time you see a chameleon, think of Golby and consider joining her efforts in protecting them.