Our conference programme for May 2023

Our conference programme for May 2023

by Alex Negro AG Interna

After we were able to publish a preview of the conference programme in December last year, we now have the final conference programme. This year’s conference will take place from 05 to 07 May 2023 in the tranquil town of Boppard am Rhein. As experience shows that the weekends in Boppard are booked up quickly, we recommend that you look for a hotel or guesthouse soon. Our programme has become a nice mixture of keeping reports, general terraristics and travel reports. Friday is the traditional day for arrival and a pleasant dinner in the local restaurants.

Saturday starts with a classic husbandry and breeding report. Jean-Dominique Dufraine has been keeping Rieppeleon brevicaudatus and Archaius tigris for several years. He talks about his experiences in breeding, but also in the everyday keeping of the two species. Afterwards, Thorsten Negro will take us on a search for Parson’s Chameleons in their natural habitat in Madagascar.

In the afternoon, Oliver Witte will give us an exciting insight into law, legislation and terrarium keeping – don’t worry, it won’t be as dry as it sounds, but very interesting for chameleon keepers. As a highlight, the physicist Sarina Wunderlich from www.lichtimterrarium.de has also agreed to join us. LEDs are becoming increasingly popular in terrarium keeping, not least because they can save a lot of electricity. Sarina will show us the advantages and risks of LEDs and discuss the latest development, UV LEDs. After these two presentations, we have planned plenty of time for discussion and questions, because there will certainly be plenty to talk about. At the end of Saturday, Rayana Vuillemain will introduce us to the Association Caméléon Centre Conservation (Switzerland) – this is the only presentation in English.

Sunday will be another colourful day: Lars Dwinger will report on a Madagascar trip to the southern highlands and the central east of the island. He travelled between carpet chameleons and rice fields as well as in the rainforest of Ranomafana, where he met a variety of small and large chameleons. Markus Grimm will conclude with an overview of Chamaeleo chamaeleon in its natural habitat in Europe as well as keeping and breeding them in terrariums.

We are very much looking forward to a nice meeting and many chameleon friends!

Lecture in Frankfurt about Madagascar

Lecture in Frankfurt about Madagascar

by Alex Negro Reiseberichte Live lectures

The spokeswoman of the AG Chamäleons will be giving a visually stunning talk about not only, but also a great many chameleons on 21 October 2022 in Frankfurt am Main. Madagascar, located in the Indian Ocean a good 400 km east of mainland Africa, is known for its extremely high biodiversity. But the wild west of Madagascar is one thing above all: hot and dry. Nothing can really survive there – can it? The end of the rainy season is the best time to go herping in Madagascar: time to go where the pepper grows and see what the dry wild west is all about. A herpetological adventure!

The journey leads from the capital Antananarivo through the highlands to Ankarafantsika National Park, which, contrary to popular belief, has more to offer than just birds. Then it continues to the west coast town of Mahajanga on the Bay of Bombetoka. The opposite headland of Katsepy revealed one of its greatest secrets only two years ago with a chameleon thought to be extinct. Morondava, further south by the sea, is home to the famous Baobab Avenue. Not far from there is the Kirindy forest, where probably no animal is quite normal: a cathameral predator with clitoris bones, the world’s smallest mouse maki, a kangaroo rat, the shortest-lived chameleon on earth and a turtle called Kapidolo are just some of Kirindy’s strange inhabitants. From there, the journey continues off-road in the sand to the south, past the baobab forests of Andavadoaka to the beaches of Ifaty. In two spiny forests north and south of Toliara, day geckos, even more turtles and snakes can be found.

Dr Alexandra Laube The Wild West of Madagascar
DGHT City Group Frankfurt am Main
Zoo School of Frankfurt Zoo
Bernhard-Grzimek-Allee 1
60316 Frankfurt am Main
Admission is from 6.30 p.m., lecture begins at 7 p.m.

Photo: Furcifer voeltzkowi in Katsepy, photographed by Dr Alexandra Laube

Presentation in Münster about Uganda

Presentation in Münster about Uganda

by Alex Negro Reiseberichte Live lectures

On Friday, 21 October 2022, Sönke Frahm will hold his presentation “Uganda – pearl of Africa” in Münster. He will report on a trip to the East African country of Uganda, which is framed by South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania and Kenya. The journey starts in Entebbe on Lake Victoria and from there to the Mitjanja District in search of snakes of the species Bitis and Atheris. Sönke then takes the visitor on a safari to the unique Queen Elisabeth National Park and for chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park. Afterwards, a visit to the famous mountain gorillas in Bwindi National Park is scheduled. The trip concludes in a swamp area at Lake Victoria to look for the charismatic Abu Markub, the “father of the shoe”. Sönke met several species of chameleons on the way – there are thirteen different ones in Uganda – and of course, photographed them. So if you want to enjoy an evening with not only herpetological impressions, Münster is the place to be. The presentation is in German.

Sönke Frahm: Uganda – Perle Afrikas
DGHT Stadtgruppe Münster
Zooschule des Allwetterzoos
Sentruper Str. 315
48161 Münster
Admission is from 6.30 p.m., lecture begins at 7 p.m.

Lecture in Neumünster about Madagascar

Lecture in Neumünster about Madagascar

by Alex Negro Reiseberichte Live lectures

Together with Jutta Dwinger, AG member Lars Dwinger will be giving a presentation full of pictures in Schleswig-Holstein on Friday, 21 October 2022. This year, the two travelled to the north of Madagascar, which is known for its extreme biodiversity.

The journey begins in the Marojejy National Park, which stretches across the gorges and steep slopes of the mountain range of the same name. There you can see extremely rarely photographed chameleons, but also a great variety of frogs, snakes and geckos. Afterwards, the journey led via the east coast towns of Sambava and Vohémar to the dry forest of Daraina. The next stop was the world-famous Tsingys in Ankarana National Park. Even in these two dry forests, there is a lot of small and big life. The final stop was camping in the middle of a chameleon paradise: The Montagne d’Ambre in the far north of Madagascar. Between tiny earth chameleons that just fit on the tip of a finger and the gentle giants of the rainforest, the two Hamburgers encounter many fascinating creatures on this trip.

Lars und Jutta Dwinger  Foray through four national parks in the north of Madagascar
DGHT Stadtgruppe Neumünster
Gaststätte “Schafstall”
May-Eyth-Str. 14
24537 Neumünster
Lecture starts at 8 pm

Picture: Brookesia betschi in Marojejy, photographed by Jutta Dwinger

Presentation in Frankfurt about Uganda

Presentation in Frankfurt about Uganda

by Alex Negro Reiseberichte Live lectures

Next Friday, 19.08.2022, at 7 pm, Sönke Frahm will hold his presentation “Uganda – pearl of Africa” in Frankfurt am Main. He will report on a trip to the East African country of Uganda, which is framed by South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania and Kenya. The journey starts in Entebbe on Lake Victoria and from there to the Mitjanja District in search of snakes of the species Bitis and Atheris. Sönke then takes the visitor on a safari to the unique Queen Elisabeth National Park and for chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park. Afterwards, a visit to the famous mountain gorillas in Bwindi National Park is scheduled. The trip concludes in a swamp area at Lake Victoria to look for the charismatic Abu Markub, the “father of the shoe”. Sönke met several species of chameleons on the way – there are thirteen different ones in Uganda – and of course, photographed them. So if you want to enjoy an evening with not only herpetological impressions, Frankfurt is the place to be. The presentation is in German.

Sönke Frahm: Uganda – Perle Afrikas
DGHT Stadtgruppe Frankfurt am Main
Zooschule des Zoo Frankfurt
Bernhard-Grzimek-Allee 1
60316 Frankfurt am Main
Admission from 18:30, beginning of the presentation at 19 o’clock