Start your week off with a dose of super cuteness. Enjoy this up close look at Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s newest addition to their menagerie, a porcupette. Born February 25, 2020, the prehensile-tailed porcupine was named Shelley by the animal care staff
The porcupette was named after Disney Cast Member Shelley, a veterinary services manager at Disney’s Animal Kingdom who played a significant role in the baby’s birth.
When we first met the baby porcupette when it was covered with a red fur coat. The coat fades away revealing the quills that were underneath at birth.
Disney participates in the Species Survival Plan program overseen by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums which helps ensure responsibile breeding of threatened and endangered species.
Shelley and her mom Peri are doing fine. The porcupette now weighs more than two pounds, more than triple her birth rate.
Prehensile-tailed porcupines are herbivores that eat leaves, flowers, shoots, and root vegetables. They’re usually found in Central and South America.
We hope to get a chance to visit Shelley in person soon.