On the first day of December, Claire and Paul Formosa were out for their evening walk but minutes later they were dashing back to their apartment in search of oven gloves. They were on a mission: saving a three-month-old hedgehog stuck in a deep hole in the garigue of Pembroke.

“He was so tiny and cute and shivering, we could not have lived with ourselves had we left him there. He probably crawled into the hole to protect himself from the cold. He would not have survived the freezing winter spell,” Ms Formosa said.

They aptly called him December, placed him in a huge cage and took great care to fatten him up.

“He loved cat food,” their daughter, Kimberly, chipped in. “And the older he grew, the more mischievous he became.”

At night, the nocturnal animal, considered to be as clever as a hamster, would find creative ways of opening his cage. He would jump off and run in the communal corridor of the apartment block. “We’d find him in the morning, three flights of steps down.”

By mid-February, little December was no longer so little. Fed daily generous portions by the Formosas and their animal-loving neighbour, Anna Grech, he quickly became vertically challenged.

“We wanted to keep him but it would have been cruel: he needed the space to run around,” Mr Formosa said.

The couple called Nature Trust, the NGO in charge of rescuing the endangered species, and, after six weeks on a strict diet, December was fit and trim enough to be released back in the wild.

The Formosa family, Ms Grech and Times of Malta were invited by Nature Trust to witness the milestone event in December’s life.

“Oh, look how handsome he’s become, we’re going to miss him,” cooed his human family as Vince Attard, Nature Trust president, picked him up from the cage.

The questions followed: “Will he be alright, here? Will he feel cold? Will he make friends? Will he survive?”

Nature Trust president Vince Attard holding December with Paul, Claire and Kimberly Formosa and their neighbour Anna Grech. Photos: Matthew Mirabelli

They were right to be concerned about his safety. The evening of his release was one of the windiest in March and it felt like even a hedgehog’s 5,000 spines could be easily blown away.

In winter, some of the hedgehogs tend to suffer from hypothermia and are underweight but, luckily, December had no worries on that front.

He loved cat food and the older he grew, the more mischievous he became

Releases are always carried out in the evening as that is the time when hedgehogs wake up and are active. They spend the day sleeping in a nest under bushes or thick shrubs.

“We always release them in the vicinity of where they were found,” Mr Attard said. December had been weaned off cat food and introduced to a ‘wilderness’ diet based on snails and insects.

“He’s fared very well,” he said. Hedgehogs have the reputation of being ‘gardener’s friends’ because their diet includes many ‘pests they forage for insects, worms, centipedes, snails, mice, frogs and snakes.

As he was being brought out of the cage, December felt nervous and curled up into a spiny ball to protect its vulnerable stomach, his spines becoming as prickly as a critter cactus.

Slowly, slowly, maybe aided by the cooing of familiar voices, he overcame his shyness and opened up. Within moments he was scuttling among the trees and hedges.

“There’s a community of hedgehogs here, he’ll be fine, don’t worry,” Mr Attard told the animal’s adoptees.

Unless December walks right up to the main road and exposes himself to the dangers of passing cars, he should live happily for quite a few years.

“Hedgehogs normally have a lifespan of about seven years but they can live up to 20 years,” Mr Attard said.

He appealed for people to call Nature Trust if they come across a hedgehog in danger.

“Never touch a hedgehog with bare hands. It’s always better to get someone who is trained to handle them.”

He also encouraged people to follow in the Formosas’ footsteps and adopt hedgehogs. Injured hedgehogs are placed under the care of Nature Trust volunteers who medicate and rehabilitate the animals before releasing them.

Mr Attard said 91 hedgehogs were saved last year but “more awareness” was needed on the dangers these creatures faced on the road. In fact, more than 60 hedgehog road signs arebeing installed around the island cautioning drivers to drive slowly.

The Adopt a Hedgehog campaign also aims to raise €1.6 million for a wildlife resort centre in Xrobb l-Għaġin.

For more information, call Nature Trust Malta rescue line: 9999 9505 or send an e-mail to info@naturetrust.org. For donation, send SMS on 5061 6135 (€1.16); 5061 7597 (€2.33); 5061 8196 (€4.66)

Things you never knew about prickly hedgehogs

December happily sniffing his new wild territory.

• The hedgehog got its name because as it moves through the hedges, it emits pig-like grunts.

•  While hunting for food, these creatures rely primarily upon their sense of hearing and smell because their eyesight is weak. However, their eyes have adapted for night-time vision.

• Hedgehogs are usually solitary, normally only pairing up to mate. The male circles the female, sometimes for hours, to persuade her to mate. They will then separate and the male takes no part in rearing the family.