What started as a search for medicinal mushrooms on the side of the road.
Maine resident Jared Buzzel was on his way to collect mushrooms—which he uses as medicine—this week when he saw the car in front of him hit a porcupine.
Buzzel, whose uncle had told him porcupines carry a valuable mineral in their stomachs, slowed down to check on the animal. When he confirmed it was dead, he cut open the porcupine’s stomach to see if his uncle’s story was true.
He didn’t find any mystical stones. Instead, a baby porcupine fell out of its mother’s womb as soon as Buzzel cut the sack open. “[I] cut the umbilical cord, put it in a hat. We thought it was dead, then I started massaging it and all kinds of stuff starting coming out of its lungs so it started breathing,” he .
Now he’s taken on the role of porcupine babysitter, at least until the animal can go to a rescue shelter. The baby needs to be fed every two to three hours.