Epsom: Woman finds frog on her bunch of Lidl bananas – Metro.co.uk

May 4, 2023 ndowd

NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
A pensioner has gone off her bananas after finding a cute frog on a bunch she bought from Lidl.
Jan Giovinazzo was doing her usual weekly shop and decided to buy some fresh fruit.
But when the 71-year-old was about to tuck into one she noticed the tiny amphibian staring back at her.
She popped him in a small plastic box, put him on the radiator to keep warm, and duly called the RSPCA.
The little fella travelled all the way from the Ivory Coast in Africa – 3,200 miles away from the Lidl in Epsom, Surrey.
Jan did her research and believes it’s a Reed frog – which typically live in subtropical or tropical lowland forests.
‘I religiously check for spiders whenever I buy bananas,’ the pensioner said.
‘I was walking over to the sink to peel it when I noticed something on it. I looked down and thought “What the hell is that?”
‘Looking closer I realised it was a tiny frog. It’s not quite what I was expecting. I’ve got to say it was very cute.
‘So after his long journey he was sleepy. My next step was to keep him warm. I kept him by the radiator all night and he survived.
‘As I said he was cute but it is actually illegal to release a non-native species into the outside world.’
Lidl proves its bananas are sustainably grown by using the rainbow alliance logo, which just so happens to be a little frog.
Jan shared her find on social media and Gary Blythe said: ‘I’m surprised they didn’t charge you for it.’
Meanwhile, Pen Reed added: ‘Yay. Free pet frog with every bunch of bananas is much better than Waitrose.’
Nathan Bracewell joked: ‘This story is ribberting.’
The frog was collected from Jan’s home and is spending time in quarantine before he is rehomed.
RSPCA animal officer Louis Horton said the ‘tiny stowaway’ was smaller than a 10p coin, adding: ‘We have identified the frog as a Mount Nimba reed frog, a species of frog typically found in the Ivory Coast.
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‘Our tiny hitchhiker has been renamed “Lidl” and is in good health. We would like to thank Jannet for taking such great care of Lidl.
‘Stowaways from abroad, such as frogs, may have specific needs including controlled temperature, lighting and humidity. They would be very unlikely to survive UK temperatures outside and it’s an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to release them or to allow them to escape into the wild.
‘They have to be rehomed to specialist keepers, zoos or wildlife parks who have the necessary knowledge and facilities to care for them properly.’
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