A Polish woman discovered a live gecko among the salad leaves she purchased at a supermarket.
She initially did not notice the lizard while washing the salad, but spotted it later after adding ingredients and preparing to mix the dish.
The gecko was handed over to the Epicrates Foundation, an organisation specialising in exotic animals brought in by individuals. According to Bartlomiej Gorzkowski, a member of the foundation, the gecko is a juvenile Moroccan lizard, a species commonly found in coastal regions around the Mediterranean.
The lizard was suffering from severe hypothermia but was placed in a terrarium and is now in good health. Experts believe it survived due to the chilled conditions during transport.
“Without water or food, it wouldn’t have had a chance. As a cold-blooded animal, the cold slowed its metabolism,” Gorzkowski explained.
