About the Author

Tayla Brown

Ranger

Tayla grew up largely on a farm in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, where she developed her love for nature. After completing school she spent time in Botswana before studying EcoTourism management in Pretoria, which served as a springboard into a guiding career at Phinda ...

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23 Comments

on The Most Incredible Demonstration of the Will to Survive: Two Baby Porcupine Fend off Six Lions

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Vin Beni
Guest contributor

After we left Londolozi in 2019, we went to Tswalu Kalahari which includes a reserach center on porcupines–which were everywhere. They are incredibly interesting animals to observe. We can tell you from personal experience that their quills are very sharp. (The landscape is covered with quills.)

William Paynter
Master Tracker

What a unique sighting. Thanks for sharing Tayla.

Francesca Doria
Master Tracker

Exhilarating! I didn’t know they are called porcupettes, so nice. I guess lions don’t usually hunt porcupines… unless they are young and unexperienced? Like honey badgers these animals are quite a hard prey! I’m glad for the happy end

Chelsea Allard
Master Tracker

Porcupines seem like much too great a risk for being what amounts to a small snack for one lion, let alone five. Glad they escaped!

Irene Henkes
Digital Tracker

Wow, incredible! These porcupines are really something…….

Tayla Brown
Ranger

They really are.

Leonie De Young
Master Tracker

What a brave little soul. However it appears the lions were more curious than anything. I guess the young ones don’t throw their quills??

Tayla Brown
Ranger

Hi Leonie, yes porcupines don’t throw their quills, they back up into the treat with their quills.

Mary Beth Wheeler
Guest contributor

What an amazing story and video, Tayla! Those little porcupettes were so brave. Maybe their naïveté helped them keep up the fight as well as instinct to clump together. Fascinating!

Tayla Brown
Ranger

Thank you Mary Beth.

Suzanne Gibson
Guest contributor

What an astonishing sighting for you and your guests, Tayla. If the lions do get any quills stuck in them, how do they get them out with those barbs?

Tayla Brown
Ranger

Hi Suzanne. They will pull them out with their teeth and eventually they will come out.

Valmai Vorster
Master Tracker

Tayla the porcupines are quite ferocious animals and determined to stand together to get out of trouble. Well it paid off for them and the lions had some pretty sore faces and paws full of quills.

Christa Blessing
Master Tracker

What an amazing sighting. I am relieved that the two little ones made it to safety and the lions left them finally alone.
But how exciting to be able to see these animals at all.

Tayla Brown
Ranger

Thanks Christa. I was relieved too when they managed to escape.

Victoria Auchincloss
Master Tracker

What a wonderful adventure to see the porcupines succeed! 2Davids and several Goliaths!! Victoria

Anita Santoro
Senior Digital Ranger

Poor babies!!! How stressful 😣 How long did those silly kitties pester them? And where were mom and dad? None of the lions got stuck?

Tayla Brown
Ranger

Hi Anita. We were there for at least 30min, not too sure how long it was going on before we got there. I think the adults must have managed to escape into the ticker bush while the lions were distracted by the youngsters.

Denise Vouri
Guest contributor

Tayla, that was amazing to watch and your commentary told the story perfectly. It was fascinating to see those two young porcupettes hold their own against the lions, after the parents scurried off to safety. That surely ranks as an unforgettable sighting and possibly a once in a lifetime experience. Thank you for documenting this sighting!!

Tayla Brown
Ranger

Thank you Denise, it really was incredible to witness.

Tammy Hynes
Explorer

Can they ever use up there quills during a attact

Ian Hall
Master Tracker

Amazing sighting

Lisa Antell
Master Tracker

What an amazing encounter…..and yes I am very happy that the porcupine family were able to escape successfully from the lions!!

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