Miraculous escape for toad in the hole that found itself trapped in drain cover

This amphibian found itself in a toad-red situation but managed to escape a battering after a passer-by leapt into action.

The adult male toad was discovered trapped in a plastic drain cover and quickly rushed to Tiggywinkles wildlife centre in Aylesbury, where staff freed it.

Francesca Campanaro, 37, who works at Tiggywinkles, said: “We took him to triage to get him out but in the end he slipped out with some lubricating gel. Luckily there were no sores.”

She added that the case was “unusual”. “I’ve been here for 20 years and never seen this before — I’ve seen toads stuck in beer can packaging and pond netting but not a drain cover.

“It’s good to raise awareness of what animals can get trapped in.”

After his rescue from a distinctly sticky situation, the toad was released into the centre’s drain-free bog garden.