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Porcupine hitchhikers return to northern MN
A porcupine hitched a ride in an R.V. all the way from McGregor, Minnesota. Volunteers were able to safely remove her and her baby and later released the animals back into the wild.
NORTH ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A porcupine and her baby are back in northern Minnesota after quite the adventure.
Porcupine mom and baby rescued
Big picture view:
It began earlier this week when neighbors spotted a porcupine hanging out a few yards in North Saint Paul.
At one point, the quilled creature ended up in a garage. It then caught the attention of Tiffany Bathurst and her kids.
The animal quickly became an ongoing discussion in the neighborhood group chat.
It turns out the porcupine hitched a ride in an R.V. all the way from McGregor, Minnesota, and she was foraging around the yards looking for food to feed her newborn baby.
"She ended up in our yard foraging for resources and just trying to be a good mom for her baby," Homeowner Tiffany Bathurst explained. "I could tell as the days went by that she was struggling."
The mom and her baby found a safe space under a neighbor’s deck. That's when the homeowners called for help.
Calling in the experts :
Volunteers from Wildlife Rehabilitation & Release, Inc. (WRR) answered the call from neighbors and carefully helped remove the mom and her baby. After giving both animals a checkup, a volunteer made the drive with the animals to release them back into the wild.
"Our family loves to be outside. We're kind of sad we're not seeing the momma porcupine, but so relieved and glad she is safe and back where she belongs," Bathurst said.
Bathurst and her kids got a fun souvenir to remember the experience. The volunteers gave them a few of the quills as a keepsake.
Fun porcupine facts:
A baby porcupine is called a porcupette.
A group of porcupines is called a prickle.