Have you found a reptile or amphibian stowaway?  

If you have found a non-native species in your suitcase after a holiday, or an exotic that has hopped over on a shipment at work, the National Centre for Reptile Welfare (NCRW) can help you.  

Every year at ARC we receive calls and emails from members of the public who have accidentally had a lizard or a frog climb into their holiday luggage, and travel back with them to the UK. We also get many calls about snakes, toads or any variety of herpetofauna (amphibians and reptiles) that have ended up in the UK unintentionally through a variety of reasons. As a UK-based charity, ARC only focuses on the conservation of native species. We cannot remove or rehome these stowaway animals, but we know an organisation that can help. 

The NCRW is a national rescue/rehoming service for reptiles and amphibians covering the whole of the UK with around 100 drop off points across the country. They have a network of people who are ready to step in when a stowaway is found. The NCRW will provide basic advice on what to do to anyone who has found a stowaway, then will request assistance. Typically, they will have a responder on site in under an hour. Please note: this network is assisted by volunteers so this help cannot be guaranteed.   

The NCRW emergency number: 07897 692060  

This operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  

Find out more about the National Centre for Reptile Welfare at www.ncrw.co.uk  

If instead you think you've found an escaped pet snake, refer to our guide.

Note: Before calling NCRW, it is also worth ensuring that the animal in question is not a native species. Check out our native species guides to determine whether this is a native species of snake, lizard, newt, frog or toad.