A baby hare was found more than 300km away from home after it travelled from Durham to Alexandria in an unsuspecting traveller’s backpack.
The Scottish SPCA said the animal – also called a leveret – was found in a property in Gartocharn on July 3, after appearing in one of the bedrooms.
The home’s residents called the animal welfare charity, who collected him and brought him to the National Wildlife Rescue Centre in Fishcross, Alloa.
“It’s a bit of a mystery how this leveret ended up in the house,” said centre manager, Chris Hogsden.
“One of the residents had recently returned from Durham and we think the hare might have been hiding in their backpack unbeknownst to them.
“They travelled straight from Durham to Alexandria so there was no other stop where they could have picked up this tiny hitchhiker.”
Mr Hogsden said the baby was quite stressed at first – and a bit underweight – but perked up once he was moved to an outdoor aviary enclosure.
“As he was so young and underweight he was initially on milk feeds but he’s now reached a healthy weight and will soon be weaned,” he continued.
“We’re hopeful that he’s on track to be released back into the wild in a few weeks’ time.
“If anyone finds an animal in distress they should call our animal helpline on 03000 999 999.”
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