Precious Porcupette Born in Front of Guests at ZSL London Zoo

Posted By : The Animal Facts Editorial Team

Date: April 23, 2022 11:29 pm

Hershey the cape porcupine was born in front of an amazed crowd at at ZSL London Zoo last month

Photo Credit: ZSL London Zoo

ZSL London Zoo have shared the first images of an adorable cape porcupine born in front of amazed onlookers last month.

Mother Hettie gave birth to the porcupette in front of guests enjoying a family day out at the United Kingdom attraction on March 25th 2022.

Zookeeper Veronica Heldt said: “It was totally up to Hettie where she gave birth, and this time - her second baby in seven months – she decided to leave her cosy indoor dens and share the wonders of porcupine childbirth with our excited visitors.

“We answered a lot of not-so-subtle questions about porcupine quills – they're soft at birth before quickly hardening, so Hettie’s labour was not as painful as some watching mothers were imagining!”

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Veronica added: “We’ve named the little one Hershey; all the porcupines in the family have names starting with the letter ‘H’ - Hershey joins Hettie, Henning and seven-month-old sibling Herbie.

“The whole family have spent the last month doting on the new arrival, which has made it tricky to get a clear picture of the little one on its own – but we were pleased to finally get these snaps this week, while Hettie and Hershey enjoyed some precious mother/baby time.”

It is not possible to determine the gender of a porcupine through external factors. During the first health check on Hershey keepers will take a quill and send this for a DNA analysis.

Cape porcupines are found in Central and Southern Africa. As adults they are the largest species of porcupine weighing in at 15kg (33lbs).

Learn more about Cape Porcupines here - Cape Porcupine Fact File | The Animal Facts

Learn more about ZSL London Zoo on their website – ZSL London Zoo