Frog Gets Second Shot After Run-In with Lawnmower

Recently, one ultra-tough green tree frog from Australia's Northern Territory got a second shot after a close encounter with a backyard lawnmower.

By Kathryn Hawkins. Posted on May 15 2009

Green Tree Frog. Image by Stephen Barnett

We’ll spare you the gory details, but suffice it to say, lawnmowers and frogs don’t tend to mix well.

But recently, one ultra-tough green tree frog from Australia’s Northern Territory got a second shot after a close encounter with a backyard lawnmower. The lawnmower blades cut off the top layer of the frog’s skin, and took a nasty swipe at the amphibian’s internal organs.

“It was a pretty horrific injury,” veterinarian Stephen Cutter of the Ark Animal Hospital told the Northern Territory News. “But from day one she fought to live.”

Although the frog was no one’s pet, the vet and his team took great care to nurse the frog back to health. It took the medical team half an hour to clean out the wound and stitch the frog’s skin together, saving her life. The operation wasn’t without risks, however: “Frogs are very delicate and sensitive to chemicals and toxins,” said Dr. Cutter. “So we had to be really careful when using any products on her, especially when cleaning out the wound.”

Now the frog, which the team has nicknamed “Victoria,” has had a month to recover from her horrific injury, and is about to be released into the wild in Litchfield National Park near Batchelor, Australia.

The vet says that the tough-skinned Victoria now has “as good of a chance as any other frog” of surviving in the wild. Let’s just hope she stays away from landscapers from now on.

Pictures of the frog and her surgery are available here.

Filed under: Animals and Pets, Weird,

Liked this? You'll love these, too:

The World’s Most Bizarre and Unusual Festivals and Events

If you're planning to travel this year, here are some strange and unique celebrations worth planning a trip around. Read More
A Free App that Helps Your Pets Stay Healthy

Purina's new Pet Health app helps you keep your animal friends in top shape. Read More
Voytek, the Soldier Bear

Voytek may sound like an average (G.I.) Joe – but there are a few important distinctions. Voyek was quite a bit hairier than his fellow men. He could sleep for weeks at a time, eat every last bite of whatever sludge was being served at the mess hall – and did we mention he weighed nearly 500 pounds? Read More
It’s Snowing Spiders in Wagga Wagga, Australia

Thousands of wolf spiders have brought their spider webs to the fields of flooded Wagga Wagga. Read More
Pet Cat Noah Detects Aneurysm in Owner Janet Batten

A tabby named Noah performed a "cat scan" on Nevada owner Janet Batten. Read More