SWNS A gecko who accidentally found itself in a portion of Sainsbury’s raspberries has been welcomed in by a reptile-loving new owner.
It wouldn’t be that out of the ordinary to spot a little bug crawling around in among your fresh produce but a live lizard is certainly an unexpected find.
Laura Johnson, from Basildon, Essex, was doing her supermarket shop when she spotted the brown gecko tucking in to one of the juicy berries.
SWNSRecalling the baffling moment, the customer explained:
I was approached by a fellow customer who had picked them up and she was worried about it being disposed of, I passed it onto a supervisor and left it with him.
I can only hope he or she wasn’t hurt.
It’s not clear where the raspberries came from or quite how the lizard ended up packed in the punnet – Sainsbury’s says it has processes in place to ‘prevent these sorts of scaly surprises’ – but at least the gecko remained well fed on its adventure and made some headway in getting its five a day.
SWNSA spokesperson for the supermarket responded to the situation, saying:
We’re investigating with our supplier.
We’re grateful to the customer and colleagues at our East Mayne store, who arranged for the gecko to be collected by the RSPCA.
After the lizard was collected by the RSPCA, it was passed on to the South Essex Wildlife Hospital, a rescue, rehabilitation and public advice charity based just outside the village of Orsett, Essex.
The hospital deals with a whole range of injured, orphaned or sick wildlife, including badgers, squirrels, deer, swans, frogs, toads and snakes, so the little gecko was nothing out of the ordinary.
PixabaySue Schwar, who formed South Essex Wildlife Hospital in 1995, told UNILAD the gecko was checked over at the hospital and was deemed to be in good health, though they kept it at the hospital for a few days to ensure it was eating properly.
Once staff were satisfied with the state of the little lizard, one of the hospital’s volunteers offered to give it a permanent home.
The new owner was described as a ‘reptile enthusiast’ and with their experience working at the wildlife hospital the gecko is definitely in good hands.
I’m sure the reptile will settle right in, though its new owner could always surround it with raspberries to help it feel more at home.
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.