Stolen gecko returned to Delaware woman after six months missing

They say every time a stolen gecko presumed dead for nearly six months gets returned to its owner, an angel gets its wings. For one Delaware woman, at least, that much is true.

When her African fat-tailed gecko went missing back in July following a robbery, wildlife rehabilitator Hilary Taylor assumed the worst. Robbers had torn up Taylor's Delaware Wildlife Rehabilitators Association, making off with the little brown lizard  (and a box of cash) and taking him on the lam for the better part of half a year.

A dangerous proposition, considering geckos require a special diet, calcium supplements, and a specifically lit and heated environment. Which is to say, a thief in the night simply just isn't ready for that kind of commitment.

But over Christmas, it looks like the gecko somehow made his way back to Taylor's rehabilitating embrace. Turns out someone returned the animal to Pet Kare in Bear, Del., where the store manager recognized the lizard and let Taylor know he was in.

"The odds of him turning up again were one in a million—or less," Taylor told the Wilmington Journal. "It's a Christmas miracle."

With that miracle in mind, Taylor has since told Delaware police to drop the case, saying that she's sure the police "have a lot more important crimes to investigate."

[NBC]