A young bat named Raspberry made an eventful journey from the Scottish Highlands to Glasgow, where she was discovered hiding in holiday luggage. Alex O’Neill found the animal when he returned from a break near Lochailort and contacted bat conservation charity, the Bat Conservation Trust. He was put in touch with expert Tracey Jolliffe, who identified the bat as an inexperienced flier on the cusp of her first proper flight. Raspberry was a “bit skinny” and “a bit of a bad way” at first but was nursed back to full health by Jolliffe.
After a few days of feeding, Tracey allowed Raspberry to make a few test flights around her ceiling to ensure she was capable of flying again. She then appealed on social media for anyone able to help transport Raspberry back to the Highlands. The Darlington family, from Wrexham, offered to take the bat part of the way to Strontian in Lochaber, where she was passed to countryside ranger Eilidh-Ann Philipps before finally being released on Kinlochmoidart Estate.
Sarah Winnington-Ingram, who runs the estate, said it was “quite unusual” for an animal to stow away with a visitor. “I’ve never even seen a bat in the cottage before either. It’s great to see it back home safely”, she added. Raspberry was quickly joined by other bats from the roost when she was released at dusk on the Saturday.
Alex O’Neill reported feeling something moving around when he was unpacking and found the disoriented Raspberry in his bag. He used Google to find out what to do with the bat and, after throwing something over her to maintain the dark environment bats prefer, he used a tea towel to scoop up “her” to look after her. The animal survived the 150-mile journey to Glasgow from the Lochailort before being returned home, fit and healthy, on the Saturday night.
Tracey Jolliffe, who named Raspberry, said it was common for bats to get into trouble when taking their first proper flights. The animal was “calm” and “wasn’t agitated…just a case of dropping a tea towel on it and scooping it up to look after it,” O’Neill said
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