Lizard makes it 4000 miles to Rotherham from Barbados by travelling in woman's bra

A lizard managed to make the 4,000-mile journey from Barbados to Rotherham with relative ease after travelling in a woman's bra.

The tiny gecko was spotted by Lisa Russel when she returned home from the Caribbean island on Tuesday.

She handed the lizard over to the RSPCA after initially being shocked at finding the creature in her underwear.

She said: "I thought it was a tiny dead creature and then when it moved I started screaming - it is not what you expect to find in your bra after a 4,000-mile journey."

She added: "I am just so shocked not only did it survive the journey but also the fact it didn’t get squashed as my suitcase was so full when we were returning I had to sit on it to get it zipped up.

"It must have been in my suitcase for at least 24 hours as I packed it on Monday morning - local time - and started unpacking at lunchtime the following day."

RSPCA Inspector Sandra Dransfield was sent to collect baby gecko who are usually found in warm areas in their natural habitat and named it Barbie.

She said: "Lisa was quite relaxed about the whole thing and thought it was funny that the gecko had safely made the trans-Atlantic crossing in her bra - unlike a lot of women the lizard must have found it comfy!

"She was laughing and said to me ‘imagine taking a nap and then waking up in Rotherham!’"

The gecko was taken in by a specialist reptile keeper where she is doing well. 

The RSPCA said that as the animal won't be able to be re-homed it will be looked after by specialist keepers at a zoo or a wildlife park.