Carluke bat had a lucky escape!

Sadly, it has been mainly birds and seals that have become entangled in debris, however mid-July the charity were alerted to a young bat with a fishing hook through his face.

Scotland’s animal welfare charity received a call from a concerned member of public who found the bat in Carluke. The animal was caught up on fishing line and was hanging from a tree.

Scottish SPCA Animal Rescue Officer Dawn-Vale Lowdon said: “We can’t say how long the bat had been suffering but we’re just thankful someone spotted him and alerted us when they did as it’s not always such a happy ending.

“He came right back to life once the hook was removed and wanted to fly away right there and then! He made a fantastic recovery which was very unexpected as his injury looked quite severe.

“Thanks to his quick recovery, after a check-up, we were able to release him back into the wild.

“The vast majority of fishermen are very responsible and take care to clear away their equipment after they’ve used it. However, we want to remind anyone fishing not to leave their litter as they could kill wildlife by doing so.”

Anyone concerned about the welfare of an animal should contact the Scottish SPCA animal helpline on 03000 999 999.