When the Porcupine Phone Rings

On August 5, 2026, I officially received my Massachusetts wildlife rehabilitation permit for porcupines.

That same night, the phone rang.

So much for easing into it.

I decided to start keeping track of the calls that come in—not just the porcupines that eventually enter rehabilitation. As I’m quickly learning, a wildlife rehabilitator’s phone can lead to an intake, a referral, some detective work, or simply the decision that the best thing to do is leave a healthy animal exactly where it is.

Here’s the running tally.

Calls received: 4
Porcupines admitted to RSP: 0
Porcupines referred to another rehabilitator: 1

Call #1 — August 5, 2026

Porcupine in a yard — Massachusetts

The first call came the same day my permit was issued.

A woman had a porcupine in her yard and was concerned about its behavior. She sent me video, but from what I could see, I couldn't confidently determine whether the animal was injured or simply behaving in a way that looked unusual.

It was late, and there wasn't enough information to justify attempting an immediate capture. We made a plan to reassess in the morning.

By morning, the porcupine had moved on and the caller couldn't locate it.

Outcome: Not located; no intake.

Lesson from call #1: Sometimes wildlife rehabilitation begins with uncertainty. A video doesn't always tell you what you need to know, and not every concerning-looking animal is necessarily an animal that should be captured.

Call #2 — August 6, 2026

Porcupine — Connecticut

The next day brought another porcupine call—this time from Connecticut.

My Massachusetts permit doesn't allow me to cross state lines and pick up wildlife for rehabilitation, so this one was outside my jurisdiction.

Outcome: Unable to respond; out of state.

Apparently porcupines have not been briefed on state permitting boundaries.

Call #3 — August 6, 2026

Two porcupines beside the road — Massachusetts

Later that day, I received a call from someone who had driven past two porcupines on the side of the road. One was deceased and the other was alive nearby.

The caller initially believed they were looking at a male and female pair. Their description, however, told a different story.

One porcupine was large with a well-developed coat of prominent quills. The other was considerably smaller and had the softer, fluffier brown appearance typical of a juvenile.

Based on that description, it appeared much more likely that the caller had encountered a mother and juvenile—and unfortunately, the juvenile was the animal that had died.

There were no reported signs that the surviving adult was injured. Because she appeared healthy, there was no reason to capture or disturb her.

Outcome: No intervention needed.

This is an important part of wildlife rehabilitation that isn't particularly dramatic: sometimes the correct response is to do nothing.

Call #4 — August 12, 2026

Porcupine found inside a basement — Wendell, Massachusetts

After several quiet days, the phone rang again.

This time it was the Wendell Police Department regarding a porcupine at a residence. An officer was already on scene.

The animal was reportedly missing quills and had somehow made its way into the home's basement—which is not a sentence I expected to be writing during my first week as a rehabilitator.

Wendell is nearly two hours from RSP, so I began looking for a qualified rehabilitator closer to the animal.

Thankfully, I was able to reach Amelie at Leyden Wildlife Center. She is considerably closer to Wendell and was able to arrange to receive the porcupine that evening.

Outcome: Referred to a closer permitted wildlife rehabilitator.

This call was a good reminder that wildlife rehabilitation isn't an individual effort. No one rehabilitator can cover every animal across an entire state. Knowing who else is out there—and being willing to call them—can be just as important as having an enclosure waiting at home.

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The Running Count

4 calls.

One animal disappeared before it could be reassessed.
One was across state lines.
One situation required no intervention.
And one porcupine was successfully connected with a rehabilitator closer to where it was found.

So far, exactly zero porcupines have actually arrived at RSP.

And strangely enough, I think that's a pretty good illustration of what this work really is.

Getting a rehabilitation permit doesn't mean every phone call ends with an animal in your care. Sometimes the job is assessing. Sometimes it's educating. Sometimes it's knowing when not to intervene. And sometimes it's finding the person who can get there faster than you can.

The phone has only been ringing for a week.

We'll see what call #5 brings.