Porcupine dies after rescue
Despite efforts to save a porcupine from injuries sustained after she was rescued from snares, she had to be put down due to her horrific injuries.
Emma de Jager of Umoya Khulula Wildlife Centre posted on their Facebook page of a porcupine that was found trapped in snares.”We see a lot of snare victims at the centre. For the most part, we are able to save the animals but that is not always possible.
This female porcupine was not only caught in one snare but two. “One was around her neck, and one was around her foot. After freeing her from the snare she was taken to Tzaneen Animal Clinic where she was examined,” she said. She said that the wire around the porcupine’s neck had cut through the skin, muscle, and tissue.
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“The one on her foot had cut off all her blood supply and we were very worried that we would not be able to save the foot. I have seen porcupines heal from horrific wounds, so we treated her and gave her pain medication to see if the foot was savable. “After a few days, we, unfortunately, had our answer and had to make the hard decision.”
She said porcupines are one of the most resilient animals she has worked with. “She must have been in the snare for over 48 hours looking at her condition. The unthinkable pain and suffering that she must have gone through breaks my heart. We try and save every animal that comes through our doors but sometimes the kindest thing to do is to let them go peacefully,” she added.
