More Than 100 Quills Removed From Amur Tiger After Encounter With Porcupine

Sarma, an Amur tiger at a Canadian zoo, recently had more than 100 quills removed from her paws after a run-in with a wild porcupine. Because the tiger received immediate medical attention, she is expected to make a full recovery. Sadly, though, not every animal that gets quilled by a porcupine is as lucky as Sarma.

In a Facebook post on Thursday, the Calgary Zoo shared that a wild porcupine recently infiltrated Sarma's habitat. The porcupine managed to escape, but not before she could inflict some pain on poor Sarma.

The zoo said that its veterinary team removed more than 100 quills from Sarma's paws.

"Every inch of Sarma's body was carefully inspected by our Animal Care Technicians to ensure that all quills were found and safely removed," the zoo said in their post.

A photo attached to the social media post showed several quills protruding from Sarma'a paw. The post did not explain how the porcupine got into the enclosure.

Anyone who's ever encountered a porcupine knows that their quills are painful. In some cases, a porcupine's quills have actually proved to be fatal.

"Quills have sharp tips with barbs on them that expand when they enter the warmth of another animal's skin," wrote Michelle Ross for Indiana Public Media.

"The quill tips get lodged into the skin and are difficult and painful to remove. If the tips aren't removed, the quilled victim is likely to develop secondary infections," she continued.

Those secondary infections, she said, can lead to fatalities.

Additionally, research from 2013 showed that porcupines can use their quills as "daggers" to fatally stab their victims when provoked.

According to Science magazine via Smithsonian Magazine, researchers "identified four defenses that the animals employed, in order of increasing aggression: quill erection, tail rattling, stamping and growling, and backward or sideways attacks."

The researchers observed that porcupines never used the latter two defense techniques in one-on-one attacks. Rather, they were only employed when a porcupine was outnumbered.

"In one such case, two porcupines ran backward, forcing a dog into their den, where they fatally impaled it with their quills," according to researchers.

Though this might all sound a bit scary, Ross assured that fatalities as a result of being quilled are rare, so long as animals receive immediate veterinary care.

Thankfully, immediate veterinary care saved Sarma. The zoo said in their Facebook post that the endangered jungle cat is expected to make a full recovery.

"Sarma recovered well from the procedure and can be seen in her outdoor habitat – albeit walking gingerly as she heals," the zoo said.

"Thanks to the quick action and exceptional care from our ACHW team, Sarma is well on her way to a full recovery," the zoo continued.