Wildlife protection experts yesterday warned of a sharp rise in the illegal trade of wild animals – including many endangered species – following the confiscation of eight African chameleons from a pet shop in central Athens.

The chameleons, a rare and protected breed, had been removed from a colony in Messinia, in the Peloponnese, the only one of its kind in Europe. They were being tended to yesterday and are soon to be released back into the wild.

“Unfortunately the illegal trade in wild birds and animals is an extremely advanced form of producing illicit profit,” Maria Ganoti of the Hellenic Wildlife Care Association (ANIMA) told Kathimerini. According to Ganoti, thousands of protected creatures – birds in particular – are being caught and sold. “Often buyers do not know they are taking part in an illegal transaction,” she said.