For the first time in 30 years: Hellabrunn Zoo is happy to have offspring among the white-tailed porcupines. “The male is healthy, strong and surprisingly prickly,” says the zoo. The little porcupine doesn’t have a name yet. The cub was born in July. Nurses did not examine it until Friday, four months later.
Porcupines are very sensitive to the abdomen in the first few months. “We waited so that the young animal would not be injured during the examination,” said a spokeswoman. “We also wanted to stress the parents as little as possible.”
The young are born at around 350 grams and already have short, albeit soft spines. They are suckled in the first 60 days. The four-month-old Hellabrunn offspring now weighs 4.9 kilos.