Borana lodge had long had a cheeky Crested porcupine who regularly broke into unsecured rooms in search of snacks. He seemed to have a fondness for tormenting the poor lodge manager, Hunter – either that or Hunter must have catered for his specific tastes – as he followed his fridge into his new house.
Any door that wasn’t securely latched was fair game, be it pushed open with his bulk or pried open with his incisors.
I was running an Eco Training Safari Guide course at the time when Hunter finally got a new lock for his front door. Before it was installed, we decided to try and film the scoundrel in the act. With GoPros and camera traps all set to time lapse and plugged in to battery packs, it was only a matter of time before we caught our little culprit red handed.
Minutes after everyone was asleep, the prickly customer came knocking. Ignoring the clove of garlic, he went straight for the junk food – prized Nanyuki chips. His noisy chomping and drumming footfalls woke Hunter, Shaun and also poor Florence, who had the misfortune of living below deck. Sensing danger, the porcupine made a break for it just as Shaun Mousley came running in, having had no time to even change!
In the end, the locks did their job and the porcupine can thank us for forcing him on a diet.
Written by: Andreas Fox
Video & story credit: Hunter Marrian- Borana Lodge Manage
Photo credit: Holly Occhipinti
