Up Close and Personal: A Gecko’s Journey

This news item is a couple of years old, but still worthy of note. A British woman on holiday in Barbados returned to her Yorkshire home only to discover a tiny reptilian stowaway in, of all places, her bra!

A small (possibly juvenile) desert gecko made the journey of 4,000 miles (there's a song in there somewhere, right?) in the woman's brassiere, inside her luggage. This turned out to be a safe, soft, and comfy spot in her otherwise cramped suitcase—which she admitted she had to sit on to get closed. A very tight spot indeed.

Once the woman discovered that the centimeters-long uninvited guest—which she later dubbed "Barbie"—was still alive and kicking, she promptly called the RSPCA (the British equivalent of the US organization for animals). They sent out a reptile specialist to take in the foundling. The article, written at the height of the pandemic, went on to note that the minute creature happily did not require a Covid test upon arrival at its very own holiday destination.

Life ProTip: after your travels, do shake out your clothes. One never knows what might be lurking in one's lingerie!