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I'm not Karma, my chameleon's gone!
Thieves stole an unusual reptile from a shop in Codnor last week.
The Yemens chameleon, valued at about 75, was stolen from its specially-made tank, known as a vivarium, on Tuesday, April 7, and has not been seen since.
Without specialist care and facilities, the owner of the Codnor Pet and Aquatic Centre on the Market Place says it will not be able to survive for very long.
Bill Holmes, owner of the Codnor store, said: "We have got a fair idea who stole it. Somebody saw two people in the shop with the vivarium open, messing about with it. They didn't say anything because they thought they must have had permission. Next thing it was gone.
"They really are lovely creatures. We get a lot in because we specialise in selling them. Sadly, without special facilities they will die pretty quickly.
"They need to be kept in a special vivarium under ultra-violet light. If you just stick them in a normal tank and leave them they stand very little chance of surviving at all.
"There's not much chance of this one still being alive, which is a shame – we had only had it a week. But you never know.
"We have had many things stolen over the years – a parrot, spiders, snakes, all sorts of things."
The Yemens chameleon is a native of Saudi Arabia and The Yemen. It can grow to around 2ft in length and is also known as a veiled chameleon, due to the bump on the backs of its head.
A spokesman for Derbyshire Police said: "We received a report of the theft of a chameleon from the Codnor Pet and Aquatics on the Market Place in Codnor between 2.30pm on and 3.30pm on Tuesday, April 7.
"Someone took a chameleon out of a tank in the shop. The chameleon was described as small and lizard-like, and green at the time of theft."
Anybody with any information should contact Derbyshire Police on 0345 123 3333 or Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800 555 111.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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