On September 11, a Prehensile Tailed Porcupine, also known as a Brazilian Porcupine, was born. The baby porcupine is currently receiving care from Lehigh Valley Zoo education and veterinary staff. This marks the second Lehigh Valley Zoo birth in the past year, after a Scimitar Horned Oryx was born in April.

The Prehensile Tailed Porcupine (Coendou Prehensilis) is one of twenty-two species at the Zoo that are part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan (SSP) program. Prehensile Tailed Porcupines live in forests between 150-2500 meters in elevation. They occur both in coastal and Amazonian areas of Peru. This species dwells in rainforest type habitats. Deforestation is taking place in these rain forested areas to grow crops. This is causing an area previously very diverse in species to become less inhabitable to animals. As part of the SSP initiative, the baby porcupine will eventually be transferred to another zoo to be part of the organization’s breeding program.