Stowaway Egyptian gecko found in Manchester Lidl strawberries

A gecko has made a journey of nearly 3,000 miles (4,828 km) stowed away in a punnet of strawberries.

A woman made the surprise discovery of the Egyptian lizard when she opened her fridge in Manchester to find a "little head" popping up.

Nikata Moran, 29, who bought the fruit from Lidl said she saw something move "out of the corner of my eye".

"When I looked again I saw this tiny gecko, I couldn't believe it," she said.

Ms Moran put the gecko, which measured only 2.5cm (1 inch) into a tub and called the RSPCA who have rehomed it.

She said: "It seemed very alert, so I managed to get it onto a spoon and pop it into a plastic container, where it moved very, very fast.

Apart from missing a "little piece of tail", which should grow back, the lizard was uninjured.

"I just can't get over the journey it had, ending up in my kitchen," Ms Moran said.

The Egyptian gecko - or Tarentola annularis - was collected by RSPCA inspector Rachel Henderson and checked by a vet specialising in exotic animals.

"I have no idea how something so tiny survived for such a long time in transit in a sealed-up container," she said.

It was taken to Reptilia Exotic Animal Rescue in Ossett, West Yorkshire.

A spokesman said accidentally imported geckos were common, adding that they "adapt very well to captivity" and "this little one has settled in well" and would be rehomed "once he has passed his quarantine period".

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