Puffin found outside Kent post office released back into the wild

Pat the puffin was "rather weak and wobbly" when found, the RSPCA said

A young puffin found on a pavement outside a post office in Kent has been released into the wild after being nursed back to health by the RSPCA.

The bird was spotted by a man in Strood on 11 November and taken to a local vet before being transferred to the RSPCA's Mallydams Wood in East Sussex.

Manager Bel Deering said the puffin, nicknamed Pat, had been "rather weak and wobbly" but had no injuries.

It was released back out to sea on the high tide at Pett Level beach.

Ms Deering said it had been fed a diet of fresh sand eels and sprats, and was given regular dips in the centre's pool.

She said it was a "bit of a mystery how it ended up sickly and stranded in Strood" and that the pavement outside a post office was "an unusual habitat for a puffin".

"As puffins are normally found further north than Medway, Pat is an exceptional admission for us and has raised a lot of interest among staff and volunteers," she said.

An RSPCA spokesman added that the puffin had been "nicknamed Pat after the world's favourite postman".

Pat was released back into the sea from Pett Level beach