Tag Archives: snare

and finally, freedom……

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Early this morning I got a call from Moholoholo to let me know that Porky was ready to come home.  They had one final request though – that the whole team come across to my farm with Porky and watch the release.  I was thrilled to be able to share this precious moment with the volunteers, trainee vets and vet nurses, and other Moholoholo staff who all took such careful care of this badly injured porcupine.

Here is the team on the farm (with Porky in the red box)

I do not have words that can explain the following pictures. I do not have words that explain what it feels like to see this and to be there when a creature that was so badly hurt is returned to the wild where he belongs.  I will let the pictures speak.

Run Porky, run free…….

Read more about Porky on the following links:

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Where Porky gets famous

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Our Porky’s story has been published in the local paper while I was away on holiday.

Thanks to the Kruger2Canyon Newspaper for publishing my article.

Porky was supposed to come home this week to be released, but Brian wants him to have his bandage on for one more week, so he will most probably only be making it back home by the end of the week.

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Porky news

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Our porcupine had his bandages changed on Thursday and Brian Jones of Moholoholo reports that he is very satisfied with his healing.  Next bandage change is on Friday which I hope to be able to attend.

Brian has also expressed his thanks for the medicine and donations received from all those who have donated towards our Porky’s recovery.

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Be careful what you wish for

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Over the 2 years that I have been living here on my farm I have been wishing to see a porcupine.  I know they are here because I pick up their quills and I see their spoor, yet I had never seen one on my land.  It had become quite a challenge for me and I told anyone who would listen about my plight to see one.

This morning as I was going to work I spotted one trying to squeeze under the fence.  I was so thrilled.

This afternoon when I got home, he was still there, so my alarm bells began to ring.  I snuck up really close to him only to see a gash on his back.

I managed to find some help from a nearby friend and we went in after the porcupine. At the same time I called the Moholoholo Animal Rehabilitation Center who advised me to get the porky to them as soon as I could.

Once we got in really close he kept on putting up his quills so it was quite dangerous, and it was then that we saw that he was caught in a snare.  My friend untied the snare off the bush it was tied to and we used the snare to get the porky onto my bakkie (pick-up).

and we drove him through to the rehabilitation center where they were waiting for us.  Here you can see his terrible wounds caused by the snare

The poor boy was so stressed.  Brian Jones from Moholoholo met us and sedated the porcupine while it was still on the back of my vehicle.

and when he was fast asleep

he was moved into the operating room where Brian removed the snare

All the students at the center (volunteers) were called in to look and learn and assist.

There were two vet nurses who were then tasked with cleaning up the wound and removing all the dead tissue.

Tonight he will sleep in this cage

and tomorrow they will have to decide if he is going to be ok or will need to be euthanized.

Unfortunately, due to limited resources, and the fact that these animals are not endangered, my beautiful porcupine might be put down.

At least tonight he will have a pain-free sleep and is free of that horrible wire.

Thank you to all at the Moholoholo Animal Rehab Center.

UPDATE:  Thank you to some incredible donors as well as Pick n Pay for coming forward with funding.  Porky will not be euthanized now and there are enough funds to pay for his care.