Home from home for an exotic Spanish stowaway

Animals charity the Scottish SSPCA was summoned to an un-named Lanarkshire supermarket when an adventurous Iberian wall lizard was found by an observant member of staff to be hiding on a broccoli head.

If he hadn’t been spotted (and he is both tiny and green) he could easily have ended up in someone’s shopping basket.

Promptly named Brock, the hardy traveller had presumably come all the way from the Iberian peninsula (so he could be Portuguese, or even from Gibraltar) – underneath the cellophane wrap on the vegetables he was using for camouflage.

SSPCA chief inspector Fiona Henderson said: “The poor wee guy was dehydrated but other unharmed from his adventures.

“As he’s not a native reptile Brock couldn’t be rehomed like our normal rescues.

“In this case, he’s gone to live in a multi-habitat vivarium at the Scottish Exotic Animal Rescue centre with reptile expert Nick Martin.”

She added: “The vivarium is designed to mimic Brock’s habitat as closely as possible and it seems he’s settled in perfectly well despite his broccoli ordeal.”