A BAT found hiding in the boot of a car at a showroom has been successfully released after being rescued by the RSPCA and rehabilitated by volunteers from Durham Bat Group.

Bernie – as he’s been named by his carers – was discovered by car salesmen in the boot of a Vauxhall Grandland X which had been transported to the showroom in Hartlepool after being manufactured in France.

RSPCA animal collection officer Shane Lynn went to collect the stowaway on in July. He initially believed the pipistrelle bat had travelled over in the car from the factory in France. However, it now appears that the bat could have climbed aboard at the company’s compound in Kent or snuck in when the transporter stopped enroute to Hartlepool.

Bernie was taken for a check-up at a local vet before going into care with a Bat Conservation Trust volunteer. Gwynevere Kipling, a bat carer and member of Durham Bat Group, took care of the little bat for two months before releasing him back to the wild in the County Durham over the weekend.

She said: “It was initially presumed that he came from France in the boot of the car. However, after speaking to staff we believe it’s more likely that he snuck in somewhere between the compound in Kent and arriving at the showroom in Hartlepool.

“Bernie wasn’t in bad shape considering he’d been in a car boot for some time. He had no injuries but seemed reluctant to fly. We believe this is because he’d been in a confined space.

“We gave him warmth, food, water and plenty of space as well as regular exercise and eventually he built up his strength and gained in confidence flying again. Once he was cleared for release by APHA we took him to a spot nearby where there is a local community of bats and plenty of resources available for them to give him the best chance.”

Adam Grogan, head of the RSPCA’s wildlife team, said: “It’s wonderful to see Bernie fit, healthy and back in the wild where he belongs.

“We’d like to thank Gwyn and her team at Durham Bat Group for their commitment to helping these wonderful creatures. The RSPCA rescues a large number of bats every year and we take many into our specialist wildlife centres to rehabilitate them. But we also rely on a network of dedicated bat carers to take care of many of them before they’re ready to be released.”

In the UK there are 18 different types of bats. Common pipistrelle bats are the most often encountered species of bat and typically measure between 35mm-45mm with wing spans of up to 235mm. They feed on a range of small flies, aquatic midges and mosquitoes. These bats feed in a wide range of habitats ranging from woodland, hedgerows and grassland to farmland and suburban and urban areas. They generally leave their roost around 20 minutes after sunset and fly around searching for their insect prey and can eat 3,000 tiny insects in one night.

If you see a bat in need contact the RSPCA’s emergency line on 0300 1234 999 or the National Bat Helpline (run by BCT) on 0345 1300 228. For more information about bats see our ‘Living with bats’ factsheet online.