A baby hedgehog with barely any signs of life has been released back into wild after making a full recovery.

The hog was brought into a hedgehog sanctuary cold, starving and struggling to breath.

It was motionless and had already uncurled itself and thrown its head back – a sure sign it was about to die.

No one thought it would survive – until the hog’s nose twitched.

Carer Sally Key, of the Hedgehog Welfare charity in Nottinghamshire, slowly warmed up the male hog and treated him with subcutaneous fluids and a steroid injection.

Over the next three hours Star did not improve.

He was given two more doses of medication – including anti-biotics.

The hog started to curl into a ball and was left overnight with food and water.

By the morning he had managed to eat a mere 10 grams of hedgehog biscuits.

Sally said: “We didn’t give Star much hope until I saw his nose twitch.

“Over the next four days he improved then went into a relapse.

“He lost some of the weight he’d gained – we really thought this was it.

“But again, he rallied and by day ten we thought we might be through the worst.

“Star continued to gain weight – he was now more than 600 grams – and was housed outside to acclimatise himself to the winter weather.

“A month after he was brought in, he was released back into the wild.

“It was a tremendous to see him waddle off into the undergrowth – a great sense of achievement.”