Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh): The forest department rescued an injured female porcupine near Jabalpur's Devtal Pond under the jurisdiction of Gadha police station, on Monday morning.
According to information, a group of residents spotted the animal lying motionless in the grass and soaked in blood during their morning walk around 6:30 am.
Dilip Patel, a resident of the small Jain temple in Gadha, first noticed the porcupine and realised it was severely wounded, likely after being attacked by stray dogs during the night.
Without delay, Dilip contacted the Forest Department Rescue Squad. , Rescue squad in-charge Gulab Singh Parihar dispatched snake and wildlife expert Gajendra Dubey to the location.
Dubey carefully rescued the injured porcupine which is locally known as Sehi or Sendha Krantak. He handed it over to Forester Shankar Lal Tiwari for medical care.
Dubey informed that the rescued species is the Indian Crested Porcupine, scientifically classified as Hystrix indica. India is home to more than 24 porcupine species.
An adult typically weighs around 25 kilograms and can live up to 18 years.
Being herbivorous, it feeds on tree bark, fruits, flowers, grasses and weeds. Its body is armed with nearly 30k sharp quills extending from its back to its tail.
When threatened, it ejects these quills defensively. Though non-poisonous, the quills cause intense pain and infection if embedded in the skin which requires medical treatment to be cured.
