Woman finds live lizard in her broccoli

A retired housewife got a nice surprise recently when she found a live lizard wriggling in her supermarket vegetables as she unwrapped them.

62-year-old Margaret Perthen bought a plastic wrapped portion of broccoli from a Tesco’s supermarket in Lydney, Gloucestershire and was using a knife to unwrap the veg when she spotted the 10cm long reptile squirming around under the cellophane.

“I saw him move as I put the knife into the packaging.” Mrs Perthen said.

“I don’t know who was more scared, him or me. But I felt sorry for him, he didn’t look happy. I’m so pleased he survived.”

The little lizard was identified as a common Mediterranean Gecko and it had survived a being heat sealed into the broccoli packaging and the journey all the way from Spain in a refrigerated wagon. The lizard, which has been christened Gordon after the character from the film Wall Street, was in some distress as he’d lost his tail at some point. Mrs Perten managed to catch the little chap in a Chinese take-it-away container and he was sent to the Sundean Veterinary Clinic in Lydney where he’s making a full recovery.

“He is doing very well. When he came to us he had lost his tail and was dark in colour as a result of his ordeal but his tail has now grown back and he is in good health.” Head nurse Teresa Horspool said this weekend.