Holidaymakers urged to check luggage as exotic stowaway calls double
The National Centre for Reptile Welfare says calls about exotic creatures found in returning luggage have more than doubled, and urges holidaymakers to check shoes and clothing.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Holidaymakers are being urged to double-check their suitcases before returning to the UK after a sharp rise in the number of non-native species found stowing away in luggage. The National Centre for Reptile Welfare says calls from people who have discovered exotic creatures after arriving home have more than doubled over the past year.
Chris Newman, director of the centre, said the most common animals found are lizards, particularly house geckos or tropical house geckos, which account for about 50% of cases. But he added that snakes, scorpions, spiders, frogs, toads, newts, salamanders and praying mantises can also sneak into bags and travel back to the UK.
Newman suggested the increase in calls may not reflect a real rise in stowaways, but rather the centre's growing reputation for dealing with them. "This is an issue that we took on about four or five years ago," he said. "Previously it was something that actually somebody come back with something they found it very difficult to get help and advice with the animals. So it's something we specialised on over the last few years. And I think because we're getting increasingly known for dealing with the stowaways, I think that's what's skewing the numbers."
He noted that UK holidaymakers make about 95 million trips abroad each year, so it is not surprising that some animals sneak back in luggage. The centre advises anyone who finds a small creature such as a lizard, frog or newt to contain it if possible, and not to release it into the wild. "That's extremely bad practice for welfare for the animal and it has potential impact for our own native species," Newman said.
The centre runs a 24-7 emergency number. Callers are asked to take a picture of the animal so it can be identified, and then the centre will give advice and arrange for the animal to be collected. Newman also suggested that clothing and shoes are common hiding places. "We certainly see that big toads and frogs quite often like getting in people's shoes and trainers," he said, urging travellers to check these items before packing.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC News |
|---|---|
| Calls about exotic creatures found in luggage have more than doubled over the past year. | |
| House geckos account for about 50% of the animals found. | |
| People should contain animals and not release them into the wild. | |
| The director said the increase in calls may be due to the centre becoming better known, not necessarily more stowaways. | |
| Toads and frogs often hide in shoes and trainers. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
This channel ran a longer, more detailed interview with Chris Newman, giving him space to explain the types of animals, the possible reasons for the rise in calls, and practical advice. It also included a light-hearted lead-in about football before pivoting to the story, but the focus remained on the centre's guidance and the broader context of 95 million trips.
- “Well, by far the most common animal we will see will be lizards, house geckos or tropical house geckos. They account for about 50% but we see snakes, scorpions, spiders, frogs, toads, newts, salamanders, prey and mantis.”
- “So I'm not sure it's clear the numbers are going up. This is an issue that we took on about four or five years ago.”
- “It's really important not to let them go. Some people might be tempted, oh, I'll let him go out doors and he'll be happy and survive. That's really what we discourage that that's extremely bad practice for welfare for the animal and it has potential impact for our own native species.”
This channel gave a shorter, more condensed version of the same story, focusing on the practical advice from Chris Newman. It omitted the discussion about why the numbers might be rising and the 95 million trips figure, instead moving quickly to the key message about containing animals and checking shoes. It also led with a wildfire story before this item, and then cut to breaking news about a British national killed in Ukraine.
- “The most important thing to do if it's something small like a lizard or a frog or on you for something like that if you can contain it that would be absolutely fantastic it's really important not to let them go”
- “We don't know the complete answer yet on how these animals get into the suitcase I suspect a lot of it will be clothing”
- “We certainly see that big toads and frogs quite often like getting in people's shoes and trainers and things like that”
Broadcast Timeline
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