Overview

• The porcupine was concealed under the pilot’s seat of a small plane that crashed in northern British Columbia and was inadvertently moved 538 miles to Kelowna by helicopter, boat and trailer.
• Workers unloading the wreckage in Kelowna noticed quills protruding beneath the pilot’s seat and contacted the Interior Wildlife Rehabilitation Society for assistance.
• IWRS veterinarians lightly sedated the young female porcupine via intramuscular injection and gently extracted her without any quills shedding.
• The animal is being fattened up and monitored at IWRS’s Summerland facility to ensure she fully recovers before release.
• Local wildlife authorities are reviewing potential sites to safely return the porcupine to the wild once she regains her health.