CHENNAI: A two-ft long Indian porcupine was found near a resort on ECR and rescued, on Sunday. Forest officials, who rescued it, will be taking it to the Western Ghats where it will be released in the forest.
Forest officials said they received a phone call from residents living near a beach resort on East Coast Road, Injambakkam that a porcupine was spotted in the bushes in their area on Sunday evening.
A team led by forest range officer, Velachery Range Office, S Davidraj went to the spot and after an hour, they captured the rodent. As the animal can attack with its quills, the officials had to close off an area of about 200 metres around it with nets and wait for it to get caught in the net.
Officials said that the male rodent was two feet in length, 1.5 feet in height and was about two years old.
“Porcupines usually live in thick forests. It could have come from Andhra Pradesh as there are no forests nearby here. We fed it with vegetables and are taking it to the Western Ghats to release it in the forest. This is the first time we have rescued a porcupine,” said S Davidraj.
Officials explained that Indian porcupines or Hystrix indica are nocturnal and can live in various habitats including mountains, scrub lands and forests.
It is found throughout Southern Asia and Middle East, officials said and added that they have many layers of quills that grow from its shoulder that it raises and rattles when attacked. It feeds on plants, fruits and grains, officials said.