A BABY hare who travelled from Durham to Alexandria in an unsuspecting member of the public’s backpack is being cared for by the Scottish SPCA.

The SSPCA was contacted after the leveret was found in a property in Gartocham by the resident, after he appeared in one of the bedrooms.

The young hare was collected and taken to the National Wildlife Rescue Centre in Fishcross for treatment.

Chris Hogsden, centre manager at Fishcross, said: “It’s a bit of a mystery how this leveret ended up in the house.

“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!

“The leveret was, understandably, quite stressed at first and a bit underweight.

“We took the decision to move him to an outdoor aviary enclosure and found the sights, sounds and smells of the natural world really helped to calm him down and get him to settle.

“As he was so young and underweight, he was initially on milk feeds but he’s now reach a healthy weight and will soon be weaned.

“We’re hopeful that he’s on track to be released back into the wild in a few weeks’ time.

“If anyone else finds an animal in distress, they should call our animal helpline on 03000 999 999.”