THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The spotting of a porcupine on the Technopark Phase I campus has triggered panic among the park employees. The encounter played out around Wednesday midnight, when employees returning home from work noticed the nocturnal animal with sharp quills roaming near the Bhavani Building.
The campus, which spans over 198.43 acres with dense green cover, is operational round the clock with hundreds of employees on the graveyard shift. “We spotted a porcupine around midnight near the parking area and informed the security guard. We were startled,” said Gokul A, the IT employee who first spotted the animal.
The techies shot a video of the porcupine and it’s been doing the rounds on social media handles with over 2 lakh views. “After posting the video we received comments from other park employees who had also spotted the porcupine,” said Gokul. Following the sighting, Prathidhwani — the welfare organisation of IT employees — brought the matter to the attention of Technopark authorities. “We have relayed our concerns with authorities,” said Rajeev Krishnan, state convenor, Prathidhwani.
However, park authorities emphasised that there is no need for panic. “This is not an alarming situation as no incident has been reported. There is no safety concern,” said an official.
According to officials with the forest department, porcupine sightings in urban areas are rare. “Sightings are not common and such incidents get reported rarely. They are peaceful creatures who only pose danger when threatened. The best way is not to ignore them. If the animals cause a menace, we have rapid response teams that will catch and relocate them,” an official said.