THE Dulwich Despatch Summer 2023
Dr Cue and the Chameleons
Jenson Leung (7R) visits Dr Cue for some animal advice
One sunny afternoon, William Beresford and I paid a visit to Dr Cue of the Biology Department. We had hopes of a library pet as an addition to our new library, and here is what we found out about potential pets . There were many options to be considered. We desperately wanted a colour changing chameleon. However, one librarian in particular objected to this. The chameleon idea was also shot down by Dr Cue as too much noise could cause stress for the reptile and noise is something that is inevitable, especially in a Library of our size. Miss McGuinness wanted a tortoise. Although interesting, these are hard to care for according to Dr Cue. We saw an array of animals that live in the Science Block, ranging from a tarantula (which William was campaigning for), to a lizard. I was petrified at the sight of the tarantula, while William was delighted! We got to see a lizard, hiding amongst the sand. It took us some time to find it; however, it soon escaped the second we caught sight of it. We were also shown how to care for the animals. For example, a chameleon must have a perfect environment to survive, with strict rules about noise and humidity. Hence why it has sadly not appeared in our Library. The other two were easy to care for surprisingly. A tarantula did not need to have environment restrictions. However, it could freak some people out (like me). On the other hand, the lizard was fairly independent, quiet and also easy to source. Although we still really wanted a chameleon, we were ultimately recommended a lizard, a potential sensible solution for tranquility for us and the animal in our new library.
Tarantulas: Low maintenance
Dr Cue, experienced pet owner.
A College chameleon: we can only dream
Tortoises: hard to care for
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