One of the most interesting wildlife operating in Israel is the porcupine, which unfortunately has increased in recent years when it crosses roads in its territory.
The person who warns about this and calls on the public to be careful and protect this protected animal is Avihu Sherwood, founder and chairman of the "For Wildlife Association". To that end, we talked to him to better understand this animal, which lives in the vicinity of man, who is often not only hit by vehicles but also suffers from poaching by minorities, which he says is a "sick evil" that must be stopped by surveillance and information.
"I want to dispel a myth that scares a lot of people and does bad PR to porcupines – they don't shoot thorns and they don't know how to do it at all," Sherwood begins. "Porcupines have three different types of spines. The first type is the beautiful show thorns that also fall out of it, which can not hurt. A different type of spine is its tail spines, which are designed to make noise to keep a predator away, and the third type is spines that are less visible outwardly, with which the porcupine defends itself when attacked by other animals."
Just a myth. Porcupine, photo: "Wildlife Association"
When will a porcupine attack with its thorns?
"First, a porcupine will never attack a person just like that, he will always choose to cut off contact first. He has no intention or desire to meet people, and will only defend himself if someone tries to pick him up, but beyond that, it is not a threatening or dangerous animal. The porcupine's defensive approach is usually to run away, but when there is a strong predator chasing it and it cannot keep up, it will stop abruptly and let the predator collide with its thorns. This is an effective defensive way because there are many thorns, and the faster and heavier the predator, the deeper and more the thorns will penetrate it and hurt it. In other cases, such as when the porcupine finds itself in a dead-end situation, it will make a backward movement with its spikes to cause the predator to collide with it. In no other reality will the porcupine use its thorns."
He said that wolves and jackals in Israel do not try to hunt porcupines because of the price that may be exacted from them, but noted that the only animal in Israel that can cope with the porcupine is the hyena: "They are usually scavengers, so usually they will not invest the energy required to hunt porcupines," he explained.
Porcupine, photo: "Wildlife Association"
"Monogamous animal whose territory we invaded"
Sherwood provided us with more details about the porcupine, such as that it is an animal found all over the country that would prefer to live in open wilderness. "They invade our gardens or areas not because they want to, but because we are the ones who invaded their territory. Moreover, the porcupine is monogamous and lives with one partner throughout its life. Therefore, when you see a porcupine in a park or garden, you need to know that it is a couple or a couple with offspring."
Despite the monogamy of porcupines, they manage to survive in a relatively hostile animal environment in Israel, due to their breeding rate. "Porcupines mate three times a year, and each time they have two offspring. Thus, they survive despite their wild and illegal hunting, and despite the large number of porcupines that are run over on the roads of the country," he said.
Porcupine receives medical treatment // Photo: "Wildlife Association"
The porcupine is a completely vegetarian animal that feeds on the tubers of certain roots and leaves. "This is an animal that digs its own caves in the ground, and sometimes it digs for lack of choice under people's homes, causing damage to electrical wires or other vital human systems, but it doesn't do it intentionally," Sherwood explained.
He also said that the porcupine can extend life in captivity until the age of 30, compared to its life in the wild, which is more difficult: "In the past, I took care of an 18-year-old porcupine who lived in the yard of a family that did not disturb him, but even helped him live. At a certain point he weakened, they brought him to the association's clinic, but in the end we had to put him to sleep because he was very old. All of our association's activities, which include surgeries, treatments, rehabilitation processes and more, cost a lot of money – and therefore we call on the public to donate to our association, so that we can help porcupines and other animals."
According to Sherwood, it is estimated that 700 porcupines are killed on Israel's roads each year, in addition to many other wildlife that are injured while crossing roads. "I appeal to the motoring public – pay attention to the animals! The porcupine is a prominent animal in the field, and can be slowed down and not harmed. Unfortunately, being hit by a car causes a lot of damage, so the animal suffers – and we usually have to put it to sleep," he said.
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The adult porcupine, photo: "Wildlife Association"
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