Officer Mullen reports…
We received a call in dispatch from a person who had just come back from vacation in Hawaii. They were unfolding their kid’s stroller when a tiny little stowaway leaped out. It was a tiny day gecko that caught a ride to San Francisco. The day gecko was contained in the bathroom until the officer arrived. The family had poked some holes in the lid of a tiny mason jar, and Officer Leiendecker went out to the call and carefully contained the tiny gecko in the mason jar for transport back to the shelter. On her way back from the call, she stopped at a pet store and got a container of flightless fruit flies for the gecko. She knew that he would be hungry after his long travels. She was right, she placed a few in the jar and watched him quickly gobble them up. Once back at the shelter, we were all asking the captain if we could take him back to Hawaii to return him to his habitat.
The day gecko is an introduced species to Hawaii and is native to northern Madagascar. They are not considered invasive in Hawaii since they tend to hang out in places without native plant and animal species and therefore do not compete with native species. Day geckos have adhesive scales on their toes that help them stick and climb smooth surfaces such as glass and walls. Geckos do not have eyelids but do have a clear scale that protects their eye and they use their tongue to clean and wet the eye. They are the only lizard to have a wide variety of calls and sounds. Their vocalizations range from squeaks and clicks to barks and croaks. Day geckos can sprint over 3 meters/second making them the fastest gecko in the world.
Since it was a bit out of our budget to send an ACO to Hawaii (or Madagascar), we looked for the next best placement for this tiny creature. Normally we would reach out to a reptile rescue that we work with, however this time Officer Leiendecker, an experienced reptile owner, stepped up to raise this tiny gecko. She already had an enclosure at home that was unoccupied and waiting for the next animal that needed a home. Now this tiny day gecko has a wonderful place to grow and thrive in a loving home that will care for his exotic needs.
Please remember to always check your bags when packing and unpacking from a trip, we have gotten calls about many different stowaways that find themselves in a completely different climate. Please call 415-554-9400 if you happen to bring home a little traveler from your vacations.
