Answering the bat signal

Staff at Sheldon Bosley Knight’s Shipston office have helped a rather unusual visitor find his way back home.

Spotted by a window cleaner whilst doing his rounds, a bat was found clinging to the underside of the branch’s door frame.

Once alerted by the window cleaner, sales manager Amy Nicholson called the National Bat Helpline as the tiny creature was quivering and looked as though it could have been injured. The advice given was to get a cardboard box with air holes, an old tea towel and some water and try and get the animal safely into the box.

Amy and colleagues Sarah Scaysbrook and Jude Farrell managed to coax the bat into the box and took it to the vet.

Amy said: “The advice from the helpline was to take it to our local vets, which we did, and they gave it the once over.

“I called back the following day asking for an update and they said the bat was checked over and was in good health so they had released him later that night, close to where we found him. They hope he has found his way back to his colony now.”

The Bat Conservation Trust which runs the helpline said it gets 4,000 calls every year from people who don’t know what to do with a bat they have found either in a building or in a place it shouldn’t be. This registered charity runs on donations and is supported by volunteers.

Sarah said: “It was brilliant to have the advice of this wonderful charity as it was a real surprise to see a bat here. We just hope he made it back home.”

Visit The Bat Conservation Trust to find out more about these nocturnal creatures, how to identify them, volunteer or what to do if you spot one.