UK heatwave prompts unusual discovery as woman finds bat floating in her TOILET

UK heatwave prompts unusual discovery as woman finds bat floating in her TOILET The bat, later nicknamed Louis, is believed to have flown in through an open window as it searched for water during the UK heatwave - volunteers later took the animal in and nursed it back to health As Britain sweltered in another heatwave one woman made an unusual discovery when she found a bat floating in her toilet. The animal, which was later nicknamed Louis, was discovered floating in the loo having flown in through an open window. According to experts, it had likely been searching for water during the heatwave. Dehydrated and left in a weakened state after his ordeal, the bat was carefully rescued from the bathroom in Sussex using a garden trowel before being dried off. Sussex Wildlife Trust's Bluesky channel pointed the finder towards expert advice and she called Sussex Bat Group volunteers. The woman, who didn't wish to be named, said: "I’ve learnt so much about bats from this wonderful and unsought encounter with a beautiful wild creature, including that so many are dehydrated and that the biggest single cause of injury is cats, who lurk outside their roosting places. And that they can find refuge in the tiniest gaps under hung tiles and in other nooks and crannies on older buildings." Little Louis was later taken into the care of Sussex Bat Hospital's Amanda Millar, who confirmed he was a serotine - one of the UK's largest bat species. While thin and exhausted on arrival, a week of rest and steady diet of mealworms restored him to full health and ready for a test flight, proving he was fit enough to return home. At dusk, Louis was driven back to the garden where he was found and released. He flew off over the honeysuckle and into the night, with a bat later spotted flitting across the darkening sky, possibly Louis finding his way home. Sussex Wildlife Trust is reminding residents that summer heatwaves can leave bats dehydrated and searching for water in unexpected places. Anyone who finds a bat in distress is encouraged to contact their local Bat Group for advice. According to the UK Bat Conservation Trust, the serotine is one of the first to appear in the evening, often when it is still somewhat light outside. It has a wingspan of 32cm to 38cm and they usually hunt within 2km of where they roost - but may forage up to 6km further afield. After catching something like a large beetle, the serotine will slowly fly around, chewing on its prey and dropping the wing cases and legs. It tends to fly at around tree-top height, 10m or so, often close to vegetation. Sometimes the bats will 'flop' with their wings outstretched onto foliage in order to catch large insects and will feed around street lamps - they have even been known to catch prey from the ground. They mainly roost in buildings, and are hardly ever found roosting in trees.