15 Dec Giant’s View Porcupines
As Africa’s largest rodent it has successfully adapted to a wide range of habitats, even braving the cold Rosetta winter nights to forage for tasty roots, sometimes feasting on the neighboring farmers crops. It has thus inherited the dubious title of ‘pest’ although if witnessed on an evening game drive in a game park it is considered a very rare sighting.
“Africa’s largest rodent roams the plains of Giant’s View Estate.”
The Giant’s View Wildcam has picked up a number of porcupine, always when the night is at its darkest and a couple of times in pairs foraging close to the wetland. The wildcam pictures are the only sightings we have had of these creatures and with the rehabilitation of the wetland to occur soon, we are hoping to attract more of these strange animals.
The bank rising up from the floodplain provides the perfect habitat for porcupines and if you walk along the base of the hill along the river walk path you will see a couple of porcupine holes. In the absence of aardvarks to dig holes for them, they will dig their own holes. An astute observer will also see their tracks along the paths early in the morning.
“Giant’s View Estate offers porcupines a perfect habitat to live in. “
For some of the locals, porcupine is a delicacy and if caught will provide a family with a substantial meal. Humans are essentially their only predators in this area. Leopards have been known to walk through the area on very rare occasions but essentially the only other predators are servals, which we are beginning to spot more regularly. Leopards have been known to attack porcupines and the picture below was taken at Mashatu, a place I have spent much of my time as a ranger.
