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Frog travels more than 700 miles for treatment after being ran over by lawn mower

Posted at 8:30 AM, Jun 15, 2016
and last updated 2016-06-15 11:30:32-04

A frog that had been run over by a lawnmower was transported more than 700 miles across Australia for treatment that potentially saved its life.

Min Tims, a "distraught" woman in Queensland, Australia, accidentally ran over the 2-inch frog, according to Deborah Pergolotti, president of Frog Safe, the animal wildlife rescue and rehabilitation facility responsible for treating the little amphibian.

"Since the care it would require was far too complicated for an untrained person to do" she suggested the frog fly from Mount Isa, a city in Queensland, all the way to Cairns to their facility -- which is more than 700 miles away, Pergolotti told ABC News.

Thanks to three businesses donating their services, including an animal transport company, a courier service and an Australian airline, the green tree frog was able to receive treatment.

"The frog was out on the lawn during the day because it was already not feeling well," Pergolotti explained, adding that the frog had two internal parasites.

The frog also was wounded on its back and behind its eye due to the lawnmower.

"The wound took about four to five weeks to clear the infection and heal over completely and we used a range of alternative medicines for that," she added.

Pergolotti said the facility plans to return the frog to Mount Isa "shortly" after its fully recovered.

It's good news for the little frog, believed to be 2 or 3 years old, as the Australian green tree frog has a typical lifespan of about 15 years, according to the National Wildlife Federation.