Sioux City, Iowa — The Iowa DNR was recently called to a hotel parking lot in Sioux City to remove a porcupine.
DNR wildlife biologist Vince Evelsizer, says that’s a call that doesn’t happen often.
He says it’s another animal that once was common here.
Evelsizer says the porcupines were probably killed off because people thought they posed a danger, or they ate them. Iowa has seen moose and bears wander in from other states, and that’s probably what happened in this case.
Evelsizer says that’s an indication the porcupine maybe came from a more open prairie state like South Dakota and Nebraska. He says the native porcupines in the North Woods from Minnesota, Wisconsin, or Canada tend to be a little darker in color. The porcupines are known for their sharp quills, but Evelsizer says there is some wrong information out there about them.
He says it can be a problem for hunting dogs in the western states or the northern states where there are native porcupine populations. Evelsizer says the prickly animals usually roam around at night, so spotting one is a treat.
He says in general porcupines are not a big safety threat to people, as they like to do their own thing.
