ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on research conducted into the 'leisure' life of Camilla, a captive veiled chameleon, who resides in the 'Creepy Critters' hut at Vision Kingdom Theme Park. It aims to enhance understanding of human–reptile behaviour within the leisure experience. By considering Camilla as an affective, sentient creature, with the capacity to influence human emotions, a departure from much existing work which tend to consider animals as passive within the leisure experience. One means of engaging with the relationality of actants in leisure experiences is to pay attention to inter-species affective encounters. As leisure activities are often self/ego focused, egomorphism may be an appropriate lens through which to gain insight into human–animal leisure experiences. Recognising the shortcomings with anthropomorphism, Milton proposes an alternative model, namely 'egomorphism'. Anthropomorphism is the ascription of certain human qualities to animals. This chapter concludes that human visitors are at leisure, and Camilla is a worker facilitating this leisure experience for visitors.
