Other States - Puducherry   

Porcupine rescued from Mahe college

— Photo: T. Singaravelou

NEW ARRIVAL: The porcupine that was rescued from Mahe.

PUDUCHERRY: A porcupine, which had strayed into a college at Mahe, was rescued by officials of the Forest Department three weeks ago. The animal was now housed in an enclosure on the premises of the department in Puducherry.

Officials of the department said the five-year-old female porcupine was rescued and brought to Puducherry on June 21. A six-member team had left for Mahe on June 18.

“The animal was rescued by an Agriculture Department staff from a college. On receiving information, we rushed to Mahe and brought the porcupine to Puducherry,” Agriculture Officer of the Forest Department Siva Shanmugam said. It was the first time that the Puducherry Forest Department had received a porcupine on its premises which was house to fox, snakes and a number of animals. The health of the porcupine was found to be normal after a medical check by veterinary doctors, officials added.

“Porcupines are purely herbivorous and feed on the root portion of plants. We are feeding the animal with carrots and tapioca. The life-span of porcupines is 15 years in captivity,” Conservator of Forests P. Devaraj said.

Fed thrice a day at the department, the porcupine also eats cucumber, coconut and varieties of tubers. The department would maintain the animal and would soon move it into a bigger enclosure on the premises, officials said. “As a defence mechanism, porcupines have quills with which it attacks enemies. The quills are pointed backwards and the animal moves in the reverse direction to attack the enemy to safeguard itself. The porcupines can run at an incredible speed in the reverse direction,” Mr. Devaraj said. The quills, which are modification of the hair, can grow even if damaged, he added.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Government hospital, college not to be privatised
Porcupine rescued from Mahe college
Aid for physically challenged
AIYF plea
Live phone-in programme
Bank branch shifted
NSS camp
Power shutdown today
AIADMK seeks 50 % seats for government quota
Workers plan stir

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu