African porcupine eluded capture on Spanaway streets for over a year

She roamed the streets of Spanaway for more than a year, living alone and avoiding capture.

At some point, she was shot in the jaw with an air gun pellet.

But now Porky, a rare African porcupine, has been captured and given a temporary home at the Oregon Zoo in Portland.

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“We were very surprised to learn that an African porcupine was wandering around a neighborhood in Washington,” said Becca Van Beek, who oversees the zoo’s African area.

Spanaway residents first noticed Porky in March 2017.

She eluded capture for months, but a wildlife rehabilitation facility called A Soft Place to Land finally caught her.

An examination turned up what looked to be an air gun pellet lodged in the porcupine’s jaw. It was an old injury and did not do permanent damage, so the veterinarians left the pellet alone.

“She had a hard life fending for herself outside,” Van Beek saud. “It’s scary to think what could have happened to her.”

Cape porcucpines are native to sub-Saharan Africa. Females can grow up to 3 feet long and weigh as much as 65 pounds. They’re known for their black and white quills, which can reach more than a foot.

Nobody knows how Porky found her way to Spanaway. Officials think she was bought by an exotic pet dealer and escaped.

Porcupines aren’t easy to keep as pets — they can dig out of backyards and are nocturnal, so it would be some time before an owner realized the porcupine was gone.

Porky is living behind the scenes at the Oregon Zoo for now, and eventually will be sent to the Fort Worth Zoo in Texas.

Stacia Glenn: 253-597-8653, @stacia-glenn

Cox Media Group