Australian Water Dragon Hitches 10,000 Mile Ride From Brisbane To Chichester

An intrepid reptile travelled more than 10,000 miles over six weeks in a shipping container all the way from Brisbane to an industrial estate in Chichester.

The large lizard is native to Australia and the RSPCA specialist reptile rescue in Brighton - part of the RSPCA Sussex, Brighton & East Grinstead Branch - will now try to find a suitable home on this side of the world where Patrick can thrive.

RSPCA Brighton reptile expert Laurie McColgin said:

“As Patrick is wild and was not born in captivity we would like to find him a large specialist home ideally in a zoo or somewhere with a large walk-in enclosure.

“It’s likely his voyage would have lasted at least six weeks. It’s unbelievable he managed to survive the ordeal, he is very lucky!

“He will need a very large arboreal set up with a large water source and lots of climbing branches.

“Once he is back to full strength we will be researching places for him to go.”

Patrick arrived at the RSPCA reptile centre in Brighton on Wednesday 31 August - he was brought in by West Sussex wildlife protection. 

The RSPCA receives calls throughout the year from people who have found exotic animals stowed away in deliveries or in suitcases.

RSPCA scientific officer Evie Button said:

“We would recommend always thoroughly checking your suitcase before leaving a holiday destination. Summer is a busy time for us as highlighted in our Cancel Out Cruelty campaign - we receive around 134,000 calls a month a month and our officers are flat out trying to prioritise animals affected by cruelty and neglect.  So a few extra minutes checking your suitcase could help save our officers’ time.”

Recent stowaways this year include:

• Two stowaway lizards nicknamed Kevin and Perry (after the Harry Enfield characters) made an incredible 4,300 mile journey from Florida to Lincolnshire in a suitcase!  The anole lizards, which are harmless tree-dwelling reptiles native to America, were found on 28 March after vet Mark Goodlad returned to his home in Kirton in Lindsey, following a family holiday to Disneyland, Orlando.

• A wall lizard discovered in the suitcase of a traveller from Andover, Hampshire after returning from a trip to Italy on 20 June. Sadly, the little reptile didn’t survive.

• In February, a traveller from North London who had recently returned from South Africa found a rock gecko in her luggage. The little creature was transported to the RSPCA Brighton Reptile Centre for rehoming.

Evie added:

“We would always advise people to treat any unidentified animal with caution until identified accurately and not to try to handle an animal that has been discovered as accidentally imported.

“We are incredibly busy over the summer months so if anyone does find a stowaway as they are unpacking it would really help us if they contacted their nearest zoo or exotic pet shop in the first instance - so our frontline officers can prioritise rescuing animals from cruelty and neglect.”

A note from the RSPCA:

There may be times when the RSPCA does not have the necessary resources or specialist skills to help stowaways, particularly invertebrates such as spiders and in this case we would advise people to instead contact a local specialist, for example a pet shop or local zoo.

Stowaways from abroad, like this lizard, may have specific needs including controlled temperature, lighting and humidity. They would be very unlikely to survive UK temperatures and it would be 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.

Our frontline teams are working hard to rescue animals in need this summer but we can't do it alone - we need your help to Cancel Out Cruelty. To help support the RSPCA, visit: www.rspca.org.uk/stopcruelty