Stowaway bat hitches lift more than 500 miles from France to Hartlepool

The tiny 10cm pipistrelle was discovered in the boot of a red Vauxhall Grandland X at the Drive Vauxhall garage, in Burn Road, Hartlepool, after beginning its journey on mainland Europe.

Littering his comments with puns about super hero Batman, RSPCA animal collection officer Shane Lynn said: “I had to Marvel at it when I got the call.

"The little pipistrelle bat seems to be a real joker and has travelled at least 800km from his home in the boot.

"The cheeky critter was clearly Robin’ a lift although I don’t know if he planned to end up in the North East of England”

“The bat, around 10cm big, was found when the car arrived at the showroom and staff had quite the fright.

“Luckily, despite his adventure, he didn’t seem to be too worse for wear.”

Staff managed to safely contain the bat in a cardboard box and keep him safe until Mr Lynn arrived.

The officer took the bat, who seemed a little lethargic, to a local vet for a check-up and reported last week’s find to the Bat Conservation Trust.

He added: “When you work with animals you never quite know what will happen next and we do get some batty calls to help animals in strange situations, like this little cross-channel furry.

“But it’s always really rewarding when we can help an animal in need and ensure they’re safe and well.

“This little one is now with a bat carer and will be released back into the wild once he’s strong and healthy enough.

"Pipistrelle bats are common in the UK so we can release him here and he should join a local colony and do well.”

The bat’s exact starting point in France has still to be revealed.

Contact the RSPCA’s emergency hotline on 0300 1234 999 for advice if you find an animal in distress.

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