A story about a woman caring for an albino porcupine has tugged at heartstrings, as the animal's bright-white coloring and poor eyesight made life in the wild especially difficult.
Standing out so clearly can make routine survival far more dangerous for an animal like this, which makes the selfless caretaking so admirable.
Here's what to know
A Reddit post on r/HumansBeingBros shared a video of the unexpected pairing.
(If the video doesn't play, click here to view)
In the footage, a woman is seen greeting the tentative animal, who crawls over to her in what is described as a daily ritual. The porcupine, known as Pookie, suffers from albinism that impairs her vision. The woman fed Pookie an apple and strawberries and left out water.
"Sometimes genetics isn't kind…but kindness still is," the video concludes as it shows Pookie hanging out in a tree.
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In the wild, having limited vision while also lacking camouflage can make everyday life much harder. Redditors took stock of Pookie's every move.
"He likes that strawberry," one commenter wrote, while another focused on the cute "little grunts" coming from the porcupine, which is actually female.
"I never realized how similar their faces are to beavers," one commenter noted.
More background
Porcupines may be protected by their quills, but they still benefit from blending into the woods around them. A bright-white coat does the opposite, making the animal much easier to spot.
"I hope Pookie is in a secured sanctuary with his poor eyesight and he looks rather wobbly," one user wrote.
A wildlife sanctuary could be the best place for a vulnerable animal like Pookie. There, the animal could receive one-on-one attention and feeding while being safe from predators. Eventually, the woman tending to Pookie said she found Pookie with a gash on her side and brought her to a wildlife rehab center.
However, much to the dismay of the Reddit thread, this story didn't have a happy ending, as one concerned user uncovered. An Instagram post by the Pookie account on Instagram (@pricklywhiteporcupines) indicated a sad end for the albino porcupine.
"The wildlife rehab center made the call to return her to the great tribe of porcupines in the sky," the account said. "Better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all."
Where can I learn more?
This porcupine's story echoes other wildlife cases where rare coloring or poor eyesight can make survival much harder.
• In Pennsylvania, rescuers found a true albino cardinal under a car, unable to survive alone.
• Blind moose calf Cedar needed a sanctuary to survive.
• Their ghostly fur makes white lions one of the rarest sights in the wild.
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