Porcupines are rodents with a hair adaptation that makes them an awesome foe if confronted. Contrary to some beliefs, they do not shoot their quills but rather reverse into an attack and leave the quills embedded in the attacker.
They can weigh 10kg easily. Google(Images) Porcupine to see pictures of a dog with quills. Not pretty.
Porcupines are hunted and eaten. The muscle on the back that controls the positioning of the quills being the particular delicacy. Very much like pork.
The quills have become a common item in the creation of necklaces, and other curios in the "African Curio" trade. They are a by-product of the meal.
Hunting porcupines for the quills has become more regular than the requirements to satisfy hunger. There is a huge drive to inform buyers of "African Curiosities" not to buy items with quills in them.
Porcupines eat holes into plastic pipes . This brings them into confrontation with irrigation farmers and stock farmers. Many a reservoir has been emptied by a porcupine gnawing a hole into the plastic pipe from the reservoir to the trough.
On the whole, this habit has not endeared them to farmers generally.
It is surmised that they dig to find the pipe because they can sense the water in it and need a drink.
On Ramah we have replaced 8km of 25mm plastic pipe in the orchard this year.
The cost in pipe is significant, not to mention the time taken to repair it and the lost time irrigating.
The orchard is flush up against the Orange River and it is not unheard of for them to gnaw through a pipe in a block that is being irrigated. In other words, with water sprinkling on them and standing in pools of water!!
Just as curio makers are incurring the wrath of "porcupine protectors" so too are farmers, because they do not take kindly to this nocturnal activity.
The idea that they are gnawing the pipe for water may not be the whole truth. We find bits of pipe that we have replaced inside their burrows sometimes 400m from the orchard. In other words they are taking it away to their burrows to eat or gnaw on later.
They like plastic.
Rather than give farmers a bad rap for hunting these rodents, some pressure should be put on plastic pipe manufacturers to insert a pheromone or flavor into the plastic that repels the porcupine.
The first plastic pipe company to do this will win every wildlife accolade, together with massive positive press. Something that is in short supply in the plastics industry.
Most importantly, every farmer will buy the "Porcupine Resistant" pipe.
One plastic pipe company can save the porcupine from persecution. Every other competing company will be desperate to follow suite because they will loose market share for sure.
Please find lobbyist that can pressure a plastic pipe company to be first.
