We’ve all heard of survival of the fittest. But sometimes, the competition is only with yourself – and animals can survive in even the most challenging circumstances. From a stowaway frog discovered in a Surrey supermarket to a miniature dachshund lost in the Australian wilderness for over 500 days, these stories prove that wildlife is more resilient than we could imagine.
Incredible wildlife survival stories
The stowaway frog that travelled 3,000 miles to Surrey
A tiny frog survived a journey of over 3,000 miles in a bunch of bananas, and was discovered in a bunch of bananas at a supermarket in the UK. The frog was found by Jannet Giovinazzo, as she was unpacking her shopping from Lidl in Epsom, Surrey. It was believed to be a Mount Nimba reed frog from the Ivory Coast. ‘I knew he would be used to temperatures much warmer than we have here, so I popped him safely inside a little tub which was well-ventilated and put him near the radiator,’ she told the BBC. ‘He looked very happy there, having a little snooze.’ The frog was then taken to a reptile rescue centre by the RSPCA.
The lion that swam across a crocodile-infested river
Uganda’s famous ‘lion with nine lives’ was filmed swimming across a predator-infested river, having previously survived numerous life-threatening incidents, one of which left him with an amputated leg. The lion – known as Jacob – crossed the Kazinga Channel with his brother Tibu at night, swimming 1.5km.
The white-tailed eagle chick that recovered from a broken wing
A white-tailed eagle chick was nursed back to health by its two caring parents, and was later spotted in flight, with footage captured from a boat off the Isle of Mull.
The chick’s wing was broken when the nest fell to the ground during the storms of 2023, and it was cared for by its parents – uncharacteristic for eagles, who usually leave their young to fend for themselves. The footage showed a bulge in the bird’s wing, which is thought to be a healed broken bone.
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The miniature dachshund that survived in the wilderness for 529 days
Valerie the miniature dachshund braved more than 500 days on Kangaroo Island in Australia after going missing two years earlier. She escaped from her pen at her owners’ campsite in 2023 at Stoke Bay, and wasn’t spotted again until March 2025. Kangala Wildlife Rescue volunteers used surveillance, traps and lures to find her again, until she was rediscovered and captured in May.
The three-legged lioness who defied death
The lion known as Tripod was caught in a poacher’s snare in 2016, leading to the loss of the lower part of her right hind leg. Although she is now restricted in speed, she can hop – but keeping up with her pride is difficult. She has altered her hunting techniques, preying more like a leopard than a lion.
