A BAT that got itself stuck in a kitchen has been safely released back into the wild.

The bat was fortunate enough to have got itself trapped in the kitchen of the Sussex Wildlife Trust’s office in Woods Mill nature reserve, Shoreham Road, Henfield.

It is believed that the bat must got into the old building through a nook or a cranny.

Alex Collins, Sussex Wildlife Trust’s facilities officer, found the bat.

He said: "I had just gone into the office kitchen to make a coffee, when I was surprised by what looked at first glance to be an injured mouse, sitting on the doormat.

The Argus: The bat was found in the kitchen of the Sussex Wildlife Trusts office in Woods Mill. © Ryan Greaves / Sussex Wildlife TrustThe bat was found in the kitchen of the Sussex Wildlife Trusts office in Woods Mill. © Ryan Greaves / Sussex Wildlife Trust

"On closer inspection, I realised it was a tiny bat, looking rather sorry for itself. I called Sussex Wildlife Trust’s resident bat expert, Ryan Greaves, who was luckily able to come to the rescue in a few minutes.

"In the meantime, the bat attempted a short flight, under the kitchen table, where I was able to place a plastic crate over it, covered with a blanket, to keep it calm and secure while we waited. "

Ryan is a licensed bat rescuer, and he was able to safely capture the bat without harming the animal.

He said: “I got a call from Alex a few weeks ago saying he’d discovered a bat stuck in the kitchen at the Trust’s Woods Mill offices and asking me if I could help.

“Not sure quite how it got in as all the doors were locked. Luckily I wasn’t too far away, and I always have my bat rescue box in the car.

“The bat was a male Soprano Pipistrelle and, although a bit stressed and dusty, he had no obvious injuries.

“He was a bit underweight, so spent a couple of weeks at Amanda Millar’s bat hospital feeding up and practising his aerobatic skills in the “Batzebo” flight cage until he was ready to go.

“So I waited for the weather to improve and brought him back to Woods Mill for release this week.

“It was a two part lift off - maybe he’d eaten too well at the hospital - but he got away perfectly in the end.”

After three weeks the bat had made a full recovery from its ordeal at the Hurstpierpoint bat hospital, the bat was released into the wild at Woods Mill nature reserve in Henfield.

The Sussex Wildlife Trust has advised that anyone who happens to find a grounded or injured bat should find their nearest bat rescuer, such as the Sussex Bat Group.

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