coffee tree prize

One lunch time a trio of us went for a walk, guided by a local 10yo, to find chameleons. They like small trees, in shady glades, so the clusters of coffee trees by family compounds are ideal habitats. This chap was perhaps 200mm nose to tip of tail? He was unimpressed about having been fetched down from his tree by our enthusiastic young guide, so that we could see him close too.

The lad was a bit puzzled about being told to let his catch go (once we'd taken a 'few' pictures). With no playstation, tv or facebook, Malagasy kids hunt critters - for food (crickets, apparently tasty deep fried), entertainment and pets (which they don't know how to care for, unfortunately). Later, in Beandry, our camp follower, Random Kid, fished us some pet fish from the rice-paddies. With no source of oxygen in the container (and barely enough room for them) they quickly started to die. When he wasn't looking we hurridly returned them to the water.