Porcupine Named Prickle

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Generally, porcupines move quite slowly. After all, they may reason, why hurry through life when, covered with thousands of quills, they are well protected from predators? When a wolf or a fox comes near, all a porcupine has to do is lower its head, curl into a ball, and raise its quills. An occasional owl may succeed in taking it - but, in general, the porcupine is quite safe. Except for humans - they shoot, they use shovels to kill - they drive cars, which do not respect the stationary, threatening porcupine. Nor do dogs.

Somewhere near Severn Bridge a mother porcupine with her single kit was moving slowly over the rocks. (Porcupines are actually quite slow about a number of things - like reproduction. They do not have litters - only a single baby per year.) This little one was likely following close to her mother - neither of them aware of danger. Then - out of no where, across the mossy rocks - a dog! The dog, understanding nothing about the danger of the quills on the hunched back of the slowly circling porcupine, grabbed the kit - shook it . . and couldn’t drop it. Quills penetrated his tongue, the roof of his mouth, his gums, down his throat - he ran, his howls smothered, his tail between his legs - for home and the humans who could help him.

The dog was taken to the vet, where literally hundreds of small quills were taken from his mouth. Obviously hurt and uncomfortable, his life was never in danger. The little porcupine was brought to the Sanctuary, her life a matter of real concern.

The concern was for several reasons. First, for herself: the injury was extensive. A great chunk of flesh had been torn from her back - so deeply that the backbone was exposed. She had lost a great deal of blood. The second concern is for Muskoka: each creature - each porcupine - is important. Each makes its contribution to the health of our woodlands. Yes, even porcupines . . . . we accuse them of killing “our” trees. Actually, they do seem to damage individual trees - but the floor of the forest needs light, where young trees and plants are struggling through the darkness to live. To grow, for our woods to renew themselves, those small plants must have light. (Quite as a by product, the porcupine droppings help to fertilize, too.) If we care about Muskoka, we should be concerned that the number of porcupines seems to be decreasing.

This little porcupine was named, predictably, Prickle.

At first Prickle had to live in the warm quiet of the nursery in the big grey barn. Daily her injury was treated. At first she was too weak to protest being handled, and she had few quills left with which to defend herself. She had to be fed her Esbilac through a syringe, though she did take it willingly enough. Finally she began to lap out of a bowl - and then to take solids. Since her diet is quite similar to that of the beavers here, I began to notice that the supply of yams, broccoli and apples needed replacing more often!

The wound healed slowly, but cleanly. Prickle was moved to an outdoor enclosure - evergreen branches to climb and hide in, warm straw, and a small den, a pan of water and a bowl for food. And grapes for a treat!

Prickle is still at the Sanctuary. The wound has healed well. Quills seem to be growing again. We have had little porcupines who have been a real help in our Education Program (some of you may remember Amanda, the little one who liked the children to pet her . . . !) - but Prickle doesn’t seem to enjoy people very much. Her adventure has meant that she is still small for her age, so she will stay with us for the winter and, by the time spring comes, if she has grown enough quills to protect herself, she will go free.

Where there are no dogs. She likes them less

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