Suburban ecology of the crested porcupine in a heavily poached area: a global approach

Urban areas not only provide wildlife with new ecological niches, in terms of food availability, human protection and den sites but also they increase the possibility of conflict with man. Despite being a protected species in Italy, the crested porcupine is considered as an agricultural pest, with a tasty meat, thus widely poached. We studied food selection and other ecological factors shaping the ranging behaviour of crested porcupines in a suburban area, where a high poaching pressure could be expected. We monitored radio-tagged adult, paired crested porcupines throughout 1 year. Over 70% of individually marked porcupines were poached. Despite the local absence of predators, but in presence of poaching pressure, porcupines avoided clear moonlight nights and daylight activity, establishing dens in thorny thickets. Deciduous woodlands and shrubwood were positively selected for feeding throughout the year, while farmlands and fallows were underused. Although the crested porcupine has been confirmed as a “generalist” species in terms of food selection, with adaptations to dig underground storage organs, a strong preference for fruits and epigeal parts of plants was detected in our study. Porcupines evolved in Asia and Africa with a number of competing grazing herbivores, as well as in presence of a heavy predation risk leading to development of quills. This might have confined them to exploit roots and rhizomes as food, as well as scrub habitats for protection. Our results suggest that porcupines can revert to the use of optimal food resources, when local selective forces allow it.