Instead of being put down, a paraplegic porcupine at a zoo in Brazil is now getting around thanks to a wheelchair crafted from pipes.
The porcupine was reportedly rescued from a nightclub in Brazil and was about to be given the traditional gift of mercy most disabled animals receive, but a worker at the Sao Paulo's Piracicaba Municipal Zoo devised a present that gave the quilled rodent life rather than death.
The wheelchair - composed of pipes, cloth and rubber wheels - was said to cost only $5 to craft, but it may be difficult to place a price tag on the opportunity to watch a disabled porcupine get around under its own power again. The idea to craft the walking apparatus for the porcupine was reportedly inspired by YouTube videos of disabled dogs using similar equipment.
While no one exactly knows how the porcupine suffered the back injury that left its hind legs paralyzed, Marianna Cury, director of Piracicaba Municipal Zoo, disputed the initial theory that suggested the animal fell from a tree. Curry stated her belief the animal suffered an attack.
"We suspect that the female has taken a stick in the back, because the species is used to climbing trees or other high places," said Cury.
The porcupine was said to have arrived at the zoo sometime in May of 2014, around the time another animal received similar support. But roughly a month later, Frostie, a baby goat that was supported by a wheelchair, perished at a rescue mission in Melbourne.
Edgar's Mission in Melbourne found Frostie in poor condition, suffering from an infection, "joint navel ill," that robbed the baby goat of use of its back legs. The little baby goat got to use his wheelchair for approximately a week, before he passed away on June 24 - an autopsy uncovered abscesses in Frostie's spine.
"Frostie's legacy will long be a reminder that animals will always stand as one of humanity's greatest tests," stated the mission. "When we see a creature suffering or learn of their plight we can seek to protect them, ease their pain or torment or we can choose to look the other way and ignore them."
Officials from Piracicaba Municipal Zoo have been hopeful the rolling porcupine will live a full life.
