A stunned shopper got more than they bargained for after finding a live gecko inside a packet of Lidl rocket salad.
The exotic hitchhiker somehow survived a refrigerated journey of hundreds of miles before turning up at the discount supermarket.
The tiny reptile was only spotted when the customer started preparing a bean and rocket salad at home, as reported by What’s The Jam.
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Luckily, the creature was discovered before the salt, vinegar and sauce were added.
The shocked shopper, from Lublin, in south-east Poland, handed the little lizard over to the Epicrates Foundation – a shelter for exotic animals.
Experts identified it as a Moorish Gecko (Tarentola mauritanica), also known as a common wall gecko, native to the western Mediterranean regions of North Africa and Europe.
The salad itself reportedly came from Italy.
Foundation spokesperson Bartłomiej Gorzkowski said: “It is a wall gecko, we have named him Mr Bean and brought him to the foundation where he is currently housed in a terrarium.
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“Our experts will determine his fate after his quarantine period ends.”
He said that the strange discovery wasn’t unusual, adding: “Such stowaways come to us at least a dozen times a year.
“So be careful when shopping and carefully inspect the plants you buy – sometimes there might be some unlucky little creature hiding inside.
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“Keep your fingers crossed for the little one.”
Locals praised the shopper for doing the right thing.
One person said, “Well done to the lady who showed great empathy and common sense and gave the gecko to the right people instead of throwing it out the window.”
Another added: “What a cutie pie. And indeed, he was exceptionally lucky.
“Not only because the sauce wasn’t added, but because it found a responsible person who took it to the foundation rather than throwing it away.”
And one person said: “It happened to us as well, it came with a delivery.
“He has lived with us for over four years.”
