Bare will be released in August or September

Bare was found close to death five weeks ago.

Named for his lack of fur when found, Bare has been treated at an animal rescue centre in North Yorkshire.

Now plans are being made for Bare to go back into the wild with his own kind.

Bare has quadrupled in size since he was found awash after bad weather in Cumbria in February.

Jean Thorpe, of Ryedale Rehabilitation and Rescue Services, said Bare now considered her his mother.

'Suitable territory'

But she said she was confident the badger would make it back into the wild.

She said: "There is a tried and tested method of getting badgers back into the wild.

"Once he is weaned, at about 10 or 12 weeks, then we will pass him on to someone else who already has badgers.

"They will rear him in a outside enclosure and he'll learn to be a badger with them. They'll create their own clan.

"He'll be released in August or September when he'll be able to look after himself.

"He'll be found a suitable territory.

"It'll be good to hand him on, because that's what we aim for, but I'll have a bit of a cry when he goes."

Bare will be TB tested before joining his new badger family in May.