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David Kirkby's avatar

Beautiful, Rebecca....

We have a garden with large Green Tree Frogs - gorgeous emerald amphibians with huge eyes and a very gentle disposition (as long you aren't an insect). They roam around at night looking for food, but by daybreak they have all found places to hide - from the sun and from Monty the Diamond Python, and from the gang of Water Dragon lizards which patrol the river bank all day.

Several very clever froggies have worked out how to climb up under our vehicle, in the shady carport, and from there get into the narrow cavity under the tailgate. Totally invisible, shaded, and safe, our froggy mates happily sleep the day away there, and most days our vehicle doesn't go anywhere so it's a perfect solution.

However, we when DO need to go out - as I did today, for the 20km drive to the nearest town to get food - we have to remember to open the back hatch of the vehicle, locate the frog (and sometimes several of them) and carefully pick them up and place them in a dark damp spot in the undergrowth nearby - because a frog in a car shaped metal box in our Summer sun would quickly become a baked frog.

I think the record - a year or 2 back - was 11 frogs all huddled up together and needing to be relocated. I have a photo somewhere.

Last week I forgot to check - reached town, stopped to have a look, and there was a happy green tree frog looking back at me. SO then I had to drive around the block to find a shady place under a tree, where I could park the car without it becoming a frog oven...

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Human Ecologist's avatar

In my 20s my partner was a vet tech in a rural area where she mostly called on cows. One day a very pregnant stray cat was brought in barely alive after being hit by a car. She died but they were able to deliver her premature kittens and keep them warm. Within a day all but one had died. She brought it home in a blanket lined box and I spent a good month waking every few hours and feeding her with an eye dropper. That cat lived to be almost 20 and was as mean as a rattlesnake.

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