A bat was rushed to the vets with a holy wing after it was caught on a fisherman's hook in a freak accident.

The female Daubenton's bat is believed to have been hunting for bugs when it darted after the angler's baited hook as it was cast off.

The tiny animal, which measures just 5cm-long, suffered several puncture wounds as the hook went straight through its right wing.

The angler was fly fishing at a lake near Wooler, in Northumberland, when the bizarre incident happened.

Daubenton's bats prey on aquatic insects and are known to fly close to the surface of the water.



Bat conservation specialist Ellesse Janda was called out to rescue the injured bat on Saturday (21/6).

She said: "There was a gentleman who was fly fishing and caught the bat mid-air. What are the chances of that? "

"He caught the line, took the bat home and took the hook out of the bat, but it was too late to take it anywhere."



"The next morning he took it to the local vets who called me."



"The hook caught it mid-flight straight through the wing, he cast out and caught this bat as it was flying looking for food."



"Luckily it didn't catch any arteries or bones, causing no main injuries."



"The bat was a female, and with it being breeding season, if she had babies and couldn't feed her pups, they would die."



Despite the injuries, the animal recovered and was released back into the wild the next day.