Akany's Other Residents

Yes, chameleons have teeth. And yes, they hurt.

Feb. 26, 2011 Text and photos by Chad Lebo

Akany is home to about 120 children, but they are not the only residents. There are also chameleons. Big, bright, wonderful chameleons. The children used to frightened of these mini-monsters, but over the past two years there has been an effort to make them a bit more comfortable with one of Madagascar's living treasures. Nearly half of all the world's chameleons are found only in Madagascar where some scientists believe the animals may have originated over 100 million years ago.


Now the sight of one of these bubble-eyed, long-tongued creatures is not met with screams, but with excitement. And a survey is even being planned so that we can count how many lucky lizards call Akany home.

All of the photos were taken at Akany Avoko.