(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa D-N-R was recently called to a hotel parking lot in Sioux City to remove a porcupine. D-N-R wildlife biologist Vince Evelsizer, says it’s pretty rare in today’s world to see them, but they do get around one porcupine call every three to five years. He says porcupines are are native to our state and are a species that was nearly wiped out or pretty well wiped out the mid to late 1800s and early 1900s.

Evelsizer says the porcupines were probably killed off because people thought they posed a danger, or they ate them. He says it’s likely porcupine wandered in from a neighboring state. Evelsizer says it’s not true that they can shoot their quills at objects like animals or people.

DNR photo

The quills do pose a problem if a dog or a person comes in contact with a porcupine because they are one way barbs that once they’re lodged in a dog’s mouth are pretty hard to get out.