Porcupine 'Spoils' Enrichment Video by Making Off with Pumpkin & People Can't Get Enough

Diana Logan

October 8, 2024 at 10:06 PM

Roadside zoos have been part of the American landscape throughout its history. The "Snake Farm" in Texas has been entertaining visitors in the San Antonio and Austin areas for nearly sixty years, and has even featured in a country song, Ray Wiley Hubbard's tune "Snake Farm." However, like many roadside tourist attractions which have stood the test of time, it's now a fully accredited zoo, under the name Animal World and Snake Farm Zoo, and is devoted to conservation and education.

And they don't just have snakes and other reptiles. In this video, one of the Snake Farm residents, a porcupine named Punchy, enjoys his enrichment activity pumpkin in his own unique way.

Punchy the porcupine is an African Crested Porcupine, the largest kind in the world. Though the quills look scary, he's actually a sweet little guy, who likes pats from his keeper (on his head, obviously) and absconding with autumnal gourds.

Related: Porcupine's Sounds When Begging Will Make Anyone Want To Give Him All the Snacks

All About the African Crested Porcupine

Aside from being the largest example of porcupine in the world, African Crested Porcupines are also one of the longest-lived rodents, and can live up to twenty-eight years. Their native territory ranges from Italy to Northern Africa and in a thin band across sub-Saharan Africa. They are herbivores, eating tubers, roots, bark, fruits, and gourds (as seen here). Though not endangered, they are seen as agricultural pests and are often hunted in Africa by farmers who don't want them getting into their crops.

When threatened, they do not shoot their quills, as was once widely believed, but do puff out and shake them, making themselves look as big and menacing as possible. Their quills are very long -- up to three inches -- and are covered with tiny backward facing barbs that make it very difficult to remove once embedded. Because of this they are actually capable of killing larger animals due to their quills, which they only use as a defensive maneuver.

Their quills are also widely used in traditional jewelry and other decoration by indigenous people.

Zoo Enrichment

Responsible zoos care for the well-being of their animal charges. This includes not just making sure they have a decent diet and a suitably large and comfortable habitat, but also giving the animals something to do all day other than just sitting around being watched.

Enrichment activities for zoo animals can take a variety of shapes. Some primates. For example, learn how to play video games, or even get cleaning supplies to wash up the windows of their enclosures. For most animals, though, it involves hiding their food in difficult to reach spots to mimic the effort of hunting and foraging that the animals may have to do in the wild. Anteaters may get fed meals in long PVC pipes with holes drilled into the sides. Polar bears are given treats frozen into blocks of ice. And this porcupine was given a pumpkin to play with.

Only Punchy had other ideas. Instead of keeping the pumpkin out and playing with it in front of visitors, he picked it up and carried it into a back corner to eat it in private.

And, to be honest, we can't blame him. Have your little snack, Punchy. You deserve it.

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