I myself have never seen one in real life, but Canada boasts a breed known as the North American porcupine. They can be commonly found in the woodlands of southern Canada, as well as North and West USA and Northern Mexico. They often live in trees, eating twigs, roots, stems and berries, amongst other forms of vegetation.
When Raelene went closer to the porcupine she had found, she realised that it was stuck lying on his back in the deep snow, his spines effectively pinning him to the ground. She could see how it was struggling and told The Dodo that she stayed because she was worried that he might not be able to correct his position and win free.
Eventually, she came to the conclusion that the animal wouldn’t be able to do it himself, so she decided to help.
She retrieved a small snow shovel and approached the porcupine cautiously. With the help of the tool, she was able to turn the animal over so that he was back on his belly.
Then she moved onto the next part, one that would have been decidedly more difficult for the porcupine without her help. The animal wanted to cross the snow drifts and return to the woodland. However, because there was so much snow, he couldn’t do it, despite repeated attempts.
Again with the help of the snow shovel, Raelene was able to clear a path for the prickly creature, and in the end he managed to get back amongst the trees again.
The footage of Raelene helping out has been seen over five million times at the point of writing, with tens of thousands of people paying tribute to her simple, yet vital act.
You can see the little rescue effort in the video below. Share this article if you think it’s important for us all to be kind each day, even if what we’re doing might not seem like it can make a huge difference. It always feels good to help others.