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Toad hitches a lift

London: The richly scented refuge of a training shoe was just too tempting for a stowaway from Gambia. So the African toad hopped in and unwittingly hitched a ride with a British tourist returning home to Birmingham in central England. Farres Powell (40) was startled when he unpacked his bags after a winter break at Kotu and the globe-trotting amphibian waddled out. ``I had just taken a black bag of souvenirs out of the suitcase. I was chatting with my partner about how good the holiday had been when we heard a rustling and looked down to see this toad emerge. ``We couldn't believe it — it was the same toad we'd seen on the hotel balcony the night before while we were playing cards. At the time we thought that was his home — we didn't think we'd be bringing him back to ours. We shook everything for creepy crawlies but I never checked my trainers as they were the last things to go in.'' —

© Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004

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