Bat with broken wing treated with laser therapy

A bat found with a broken wing has received laser therapy to help it recover.

The serotine bat was found by a member of the public on a kerb in Witney, Oxfordshire, and taken to Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital in Haddenham, Buckinghamshire.

After having its wing repaired, the bat was given pain relief, antibiotics and laser therapy to help it heal.

Head vet Steve Smith said: "Once we're confident the wing is strong enough, we'll begin test flights to rebuild its strength and make sure it is ready to cope back in the wild."

According to the Bat Conservation Trust, the serotine is one of Britain's largest bat species with a wing span between 320mm and 380mm.

Tiggywinkles, founded in 1978, treats 13,000 animals a year.

Smith said: "Serotine bats are beautiful and fascinating animals, but they are incredibly delicate patients, so repairing a fractured wing requires great care and precision.

"X-rays showed that this bat had broken its forearm, so we carefully pinned the distal radius fracture to stabilise the wing.

"It may still be with us over Halloween, but our goal is to return this beautiful bat to the wild at the location where it was found once it is fit and ready."

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