A dozen hedgehogs who were put on a diet as excess fat was in danger of stopping them from rolling into a ball,

were released back into the wild today in Explorers Garden, Pitlochry.

The Scottish SPCA had put the hedgehogs in its care on calorie controlled diets to help them shed fat which they put on whilst being kept in their enclosures for longer than usual - over December and January - due to the enduring recent cold snap.

Despite the cold weather returning, the charity's Wildlife Rescue Centre in Fife is confident that the hedgehogs, which normally need their fat reserves to survive the winter, will go on to thrive in the wild.

Explorers Garden Manager Julia Corden explains how the hedgehogs ended up in Pitlochry. "I was really moved by the news of these hedgehogs and got in touch with the centre to see if we could help. I was delighted when Colin got in touch to say they were to be released. They will find plenty of log and leaf piles to nest in, whilst living happily with their garden neighbours - red squirrels, pine martins and lots of bird life".

Scottish SPCA Wildlife Rescue Centre Manager Colin Seddon said, "The hedgehogs first came in to our care last December, but they only started to show signs of piling on the pounds in late January.

"They have lost a bit of weight as a result of us rationing their daily cat food, but we've left them with some fat reserves because it looks as though we aren't out of the cold snap just yet.

"However, we have already successfully released some of the seventy hedgehog casualties that came in to our care over the winter and we will be releasing more over the coming weeks."

News of the recent arrivals has caught the imagination of the children of Pitlochry High School. It is hoped that each class of the school will name and adopt a hedgehog.