09 March 2023 , 16:22
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A small owl stowed away on a cruise ship for two weeks.
The nine-inch burrowing owl spent a relaxing fortnight on the Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas voyage to Mexico.
The feathered passenger clearly bagged itself a bargain, as passage aboard the cruise tends to go for upwards of £120 a day.
Passengers were surprised to see the feathered guest fluttering around the ship and spying on them through the leaves of plants.
Staff at Florida Fish and Wildlife were told of the stowaway by workers on the ship, prompting them to mount a rescue effort.
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Biologist Ricardo Zambrano said he had a one-hour window between passengers leaving the ship and new ones getting aboard and the vessel setting sail to capture the bird.
The little owl had startled guests (Florida Fish and Wildlife)“With some of the crew’s help, Ricardo placed mist nets around the owl’s perch of choice, the exit signs by the door. Two unsuccessful attempts later, the owl was now sitting on the balcony of a 10th storey cabin," a post on MyFWC Florida Fish and Wildlife's Facebook page reads.
“The crew stood below making noise to distract the owl as Ricardo snuck up and safely netted the owl from the railing! After the amazing rescue, the cute little stowaway was safely assisted with the disembarkation process.
“He had nothing to claim in customs."
The owl stowed away on Symphony of the Seas (REX/Shutterstock)A video of the owl flying around the ship was also circulated on social media.
The owl, who appeared to be relatively healthy and happy, was transported to South Florida Wildlife Centre to be checked over.
“With a diet consisting of mostly insects and sometimes small reptiles, birds, frogs, and rodents, the cruise ship was not an ideal or safe long-term habitat,” Florida Fish and Wildlife continued.
Burrowing owls, listed as Threatened in Florida, are one of the smallest owls in the state, reaching up to nine inches tall.
They are ground-dwelling and spend most of their time in open areas or at their burrows.
The owl is far from the only animal who has managed to hitch a free lift.
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A woman recently spoke of her shock after finding an Egyptian gecko hidden in a punnet of strawberries she'd bought from Lidl.
The gecko in question (RSPCA)Nikata Moran couldn't believe her eyes when she discovered the tiny creature, which measured just 2.5cm long, as she was getting the fruit out of her fridge.
The gecko had miraculously survived a 3,000 mile journey from Egypt to Nikata's home in Fallowfield, Manchester, by stowing away in the punnet.
The 29-year-old nurse had bought the strawberries from her local Lidl in Stanley Grove on her way back from work and had left them in the fridge for two hours before she got them out and noticed a "little head" on top of one of the pieces of fruit, LancsLive reports.