Clever gecko makes ‘bazillion’ prank calls from animal hospital

Gecko
Flickr | ikewinski

Here’s a story that might make you rethink those annoying phone calls where you pick up and no one answers. Did you ever think that maybe it’s not a computer or robocall at all? One veterinarian learned that this was the case after receiving a series of “prank phone calls” from her own office. She soon discovered that the culprit was someone (or someTHING) she never expected!

Dr. Claire Simeone is the director of the Marine Mammal Center’s Ke Kai Ola Hawaiian Monk Seal Hospital in Kailua-Kona, Hawai. On Thursday, Oct. 4, the doctor stepped away from work to get some lunch. In a hilarious Twitter thread, Simeone shared how the whole mystery began to unfold.

Sure, we’ve all received those frustrating silent calls, but from our own place of employment? It’s easy to understand the good doctor’s confusion.

Now imagine that happening nine more times over the next 15 minutes. After that flurry of phone calls, Simeone decided there must be some sort of emergency back at the hospital and rushed back to work.

She made it back to work to find everything under control and no one making phone calls. Suddenly, the phone rang again. It was coming from inside the hospital.

At the same time, other people were calling into the hospital, wondering why they were getting crank calls from them. The doctor and her staff wondered what the heck was going on.

One logical possibility was a technical glitch. So Simeone and her staff reached out to their phone provider, who seemed just as confused, but confirmed that “a bazillion calls are coming from one line” in the office. Obviously, it wasn’t the phone the vet was using. The search was on to find the faulty phone line.

As Simeone scoped out each room in the hospital to find the offending (and offensive) phone, she received another call as she reached the laboratory. At last, the phone in question was revealed! And the prankster was completely unexpected.

The adventurous (and adorable) little gecko managed to use his little feet to activate the phone’s touchscreen and repeatedly call the animal hospital’s contact list!

The little guy — dubbed the “telemarketer” by Simeone — may have caused some frayed nerves, but in the end, managed to become a worldwide news and viral sensation. Not a bad day’s work for the little reptile, if you ask us.

Animals, Humor & Funny, News

About the Author
Marie Rossiter
Marie is a freelance writer and content creator with more than 20 years of experience in journalism. She lives in southwest Ohio with her husband and is almost a full-fledged empty nest mom of two daughters. She loves music, reading, word games, and Walt Disney World.

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