PA Considers Open Season on Porcupines

HARRISBURG, PA. Neither sleek nor fast nor majestic, they are the couch potatoes of the wild. Heavy-bodied, short-legged, half-deaf and nearly blind, they sleep in treetops and dine on bark.

One feature, of course, distinguishes them: the mass of quills that forms their formidable armor. The quills can be lethal to predators such as foxes and coyotes, and to curious dogs.

But in Pennsylvania, the porcupine may have to contend with a whole new class of predator.

The state Game Commission on Tuesday is poised to declare “open season” on porcupines. That means they can be hunted anytime, anywhere.

Read more: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/04/11/1962820/pa-considers-open-season-on-porcupines.html#ixzz1JJsEbeS5