A CUTE creature from down under found an inexpensive way to travel across the globe by becoming a stowaway in a crate of onions.

And after a hair-raising adventure, Pickles the Australian brush-tailed possum got a big G'day' from staff at his new home, the South Lakes Wild Animal Park in Dalton-in-Furness.

The mischievous marsupial somehow sneaked into the crate when it left Australian shores last month but managed to remain hidden for most of the journey.

Karen Brewer, education and marketing manager at the park, explained: "The ship had set sail and was half way across the sea, sailors heard some banging from a crate but they couldn't work out what it was. They opened up the crate a couple of times but couldn't see anything.

"When they landed in France they opened it up again and they saw a possum, but it disappeared. They hunted high and low for it but again it was nowhere to be seen. But when they arrived in England it appeared again in the crate. He must have buried itself deep under all the onions.

"It was quite an adventure for him. The journey is about 17,000 kilometres and he must have survived by eating onions.

Possums mostly eat fruit and vegetables, and would be used to eating onions but it is unusual for that to be the whole of the diet."

After three months in quarantine in Dover, the furry friend, which is about the size of a household cat, was transported to Dalton and was given the name Pickles because of his apparent fondness for onions.

And the nocturnal creature, which is the most common possum in Australia, has already settled in well with his fellow residents at the park, which had record-breaking attendance figures last year.

"We've made sure he is settled as he has been through quite a bit," added Mrs Brewer, "He is in with a female possum and the two of them are cuddling up together and look quite happy."