Bat returns to Scottish Highland estate after hiding in Glasgow couple's holiday luggage
Expert Tracey Jolliffe, a microbiologist and former veterinary nurse, helped care for Raspberry after being contacted by the Bat Conservation Trust.
Monday 29 July 2024 17:54, UK
A baby bat has returned to her home in the Scottish Highlands after a 150-mile adventure hidden in a Glasgow couple's holiday luggage.
The tiny pipistrelle, named Raspberry, was discovered by the couple returning from a stay at a cottage on Kinlochmoidart Estate.
Expert Tracey Jolliffe, a microbiologist and former veterinary nurse, sprang into action after being contacted by the Bat Conservation Trust.
Ms Jolliffe told Sky News: "Raspberry's a juvenile. She's one of this year's babies and she was just on the point of flying. They quite often get themselves into trouble at that stage.
"I think she'd maybe been trapped in a room for a few days because she was a bit skinny. She had a few fleas and mites, so she wasn't in the best of condition.
"So, I kept her for a week, fed her, and kept her on a heat mat until she'd recovered sufficiently to fly.
"I know that bats can fly quite some distance, but I've never had a pipistrelle do 150 miles before."
Ms Jolliffe has been rescuing bats for a "long time". She names each of the animals that come into her care so as she can keep records for them.
Explaining the reason behind the name Raspberry, she said: "Every year is a different letter. So, 2024 is the letter R, where every name begins with R.
"She was very small and very sweet, so I called her Raspberry."
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Ms Jolliffe, who allowed the little bat to take test flights around her ceiling, said Raspberry will be important to our ecosystem.
She said: "That little pipistrelle, she'll be eating 3,000 midges every night."
Happy homecoming
Ms Jolliffe said goodbye to Raspberry on Saturday morning.
The bat took a road trip from Glasgow to Strontian with a family and was then taken to Kinlochmoidart Estate by countryside ranger Eilidh-Ann Phillips.
She was eventually released back into the wild on Saturday night.
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Sarah Winnington-Ingram, who helps manage the estate, said: "Wildlife is a big part of life at Kinlochmoidart, from stags to red squirrels and otters, and is what attracts a lot of our guests to come and stay.
"We're thrilled that the bat could be returned to the colony."