Israeli family finds toad in suitcase on arrival from Thailand
It is an Asian toad, also known as a Duttaphrynus Melanostictus
An Israeli family that recently returned from a trip to Thailand were shocked to discover a toad in one of their suitcases. The toad jumped out of the family's suitcase on arrival back home and into the living room of their Herzliya home.
"When we opened the suitcases, we realized that it could not be an Israeli toad because the house had been closed for two weeks and we live upstairs," explained the mother, Galit Lieberman.
Aviad Bar, a reptile and amphibian ecologist, said it is an Asian toad, also known as Duttaphrynus Melanostictus.
"It's a toad that is common in the south and southwest of the Asian continent," Barr explains, "It's a toad that likes human areas, breeding in stagnant water sources or small streams. It is active at night and feeds on a wide variety of arthropods, worms and small vertebrates."
Ronnie King, a veterinarian with the Nature and Parks Authority, warned that "there are two significant dangers in introducing an animal like this into Israel."
"Biological invasion is dangerous to local species and can lead to their suppression and extinction. Secondly, it can lead to the transmission of diseases, which can be very dangerous and lead to the extinction of entire animal populations. Therefore, the family was right to isolate the animal and notify the appropriate authorities," he explained.