But then again, it’s not everyday one sees a porcupine lying on the side of the road in Newfoundland.
The emergency medical technician from O’Regan’s was on his way to Codroy when he spotted the animal near the Woodville sign on Route 407.
“I’ve got brothers and sisters in Nova Scotia so I’ve seen them on the side of the road there hundreds of times,” he said.
He mentioned it to his passenger, who didn’t believe him. So he turned the car around for a closer look.
Once he had confirmed his suspicions, the two took off again for Codroy - until they realized nobody would believe them without proof.
So they turned around a second time and went back for photos with their cell phones.
“The claws on it were unreal,” said Mr. Parsons. “The quills had white colouring through them. There was no mistaking the quills,” he said.
Eric Leukert of Searston knew it was a porcupine right away as well. He and his wife were out for a scenic drive on Wednesday afternoon when they saw the dead animal. Someone else was pulled over to look at the animal when they first went past, so they continued on to Cape Anguille.
On their way back home, they pulled over to grab a few pictures as well.
“I’m from Ontario and I’ve lived in New Brunswick so I’ve seen plenty of porcupines,” he said. “It’s interesting because snakes have been reported on the west coast. There was a raccoon spotted in Pasadena a few years ago.”
Mr. Leukert reported the porcupine to provincial wildlife officials. He wouldn’t speculate on how the animal arrived on the island.
“Obviously it didn’t swim over,” he said.
Shelley Moores, senior manager with the wildlife division of the Department of Environment and Conservation, said Inland Fish and Wildlife officers picked up the carcass on Wednesday evening.
She said the animal was brought to her department’s lab in Corner Brook so officials could determine the age, sex and condition of the animal.
“It looked like it had been dead for a while,” said Ms. Moores. “We wondered if it was stuck under a truck.”
She said it was possible the carcass had been brought to the island on the underside of a vehicle accidentally.
She said the only way to know for sure if the animal was alive on the island would be to hear from anyone who saw the animal while alive, or the driver who possibly struck the animal in the Codroy Valley.
Ms. Moores said after speaking with other officials in her department, nobody could remember reports of a porcupine, alive or dead, on the island.
She said non-native species do occasionally show up and her office is always interested in hearing about sightings.
Anyone with more information about the porcupine can contact her office at 709-637-2025.
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