Santa Gertrudis, Quintana Roo — A porcupine known in Maya as a k’iix och was rescued from a home in the community of Santa Gertrudis and released Friday afternoon into a wooded area away from town.
The animal, described as a spiny opossum commonly called a porcupine, was found inside a residence and reported to Civil Protection and firefighters, who carried out the rescue and transferred it to the local Ecology Department. After a short period under care, it was taken to a forested area with suitable conditions for returning to its natural habitat.
These animals rarely appear in urban areas, but they sometimes enter properties in search of fruit and shelter, particularly during this season when forest trees are full of fruit, officials said.
Residents who encounter the animals often kill them because of the belief that they bring bad luck, but the person who found this specimen in Santa Gertrudis chose to report it to authorities, allowing the animal to be safely returned to the wild.
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