Stowaway Egyptian Gecko Travels 4,500 km, Found In Manchester Woman's Fridge

A gecko made a journey of more than 4,500 kilometres from Egypt to Manchester in a basket of strawberries, according to a report in the BBC. The baby lizard was discovered in a fridge by a woman, who picked up the fruit from her local Lidl store. Nikata Moran decided to take out the strawberries from the fridge after two hours, and that's when she saw a "little head" on top of one of the pieces of the fruit, the outlet further said.

"I 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 told the BBC.

She then put the gecko, which measures 1 inch, into a tub and called Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), an animal welfare society in the UK.

"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," said Ms Moran, who is a nurse.

"I just can't get over the journey it had, ending up in my kitchen," she added.

The lizard is missing a piece of its tail, which she said should grow back.

Lancs Live reported that the baby lizard was collected by one of the charity's inspectors, Rachel Henderson. It was taken to Ashleigh Veterinary Centre.

The RSCPA officials finally took the tiny stowaway to Reptilia Exotic Animal Rescue in Ossett, West Yorkshire, the outlet further reported.

A spokesperson of Reptilia said the gecko has settled in well and will be ready to be rehomed once it passes the quarantine period.