Porcupine in our camp

In the winter we regularly see the porcupine at our waterhole at night. This huge rodent has the typical black and white quils that are often used as decoration. The porcupine that lives around our camp has picked up the habit to come inside our camp. He digs a hole under the fence and he is in. Inside he has access to all those yummy plants and trees in our camp and garden. Off course we are not so happy with the latter. Porcupines dig up roots which causes plants and trees to die and he makes a mess in your garden. Willow is also not happy with the porcupine coming into our camp. Just as with the warthogs she believes that all animals have to stay outside the fence, everything inside is her territory. Porcupines are night animals so he only enters the camp when everything is quiet and everybody is in bed. As long as he stays far enough from the office, where Willow sleeps, there is no problem and he can do whatever he wants and leave undetected. But if he decides to eat closer to the office Willow hears him and starts barking. The porcupine seems not impressed as if he knows she can’t get out and even seems to tease her. Some evenings he is early and we are not in bed yet when Willow starts barking. When we go to check it out we sometimes see him hastely shuffeling away when he hears us.

Regards from the bush,

Miriam