Townships ‘Employs’ Porcupines To Clear Roadsides

Jeff Green | Mar 30, 2023

Stone Miller Township has a history of trying unusual techniques to deal with human-wildlife conflicts within its boundaries.

In 2006, the Eastern Ontario township hired Spike Callaghan, a ‘beaver whisperer’ from Maine, whose company makes a variety of beaver baffle devices. These devices are designed to dissuade beavers from damaging farmland, and causing flooded roads, by changing the water flow in streams and culverts, ‘baffling’ beavers into moving to locations further into the wilderness.

In 2020, they started a radical new experiment in order to save equipment, and staffing costs, by clearing the sides of township roadways.

Reeve Helen Hopper said that the experiment started after the township was approached by a biologist from California. Professor Ricardo Switzer, the foremost porcupine expert in the Central Sierra region of the state, who is also known as the ‘Porcupine Whisperer’.

“The porcupine population in that part of California is in steep decline, he told me when he called, and said that he was aware that they are quite plentiful in Ontario, which they are,” said Hopper.

Then, Switzer made what seemed, at first, like an outrageous proposal.

“He said that he wants to organise a porcupine breeding program in Stone Miller, which could lead to relocating porcupines to California, in a similar way to how grey wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. In exchange, he said that he would not so much train, but encourage, porcupines to clear brush from the road allowances on either side of township roadways, which is an expense we normally pass on to local property owners through taxation.

Stone Miller, facing budgetary pressures, has been looking at the labour and equipment costs of removing roadside brush..

“Professor Switzer said that with a crew of 10 graduate students working for him, and between 25 and 50 porcupines, he would be able to clear brush from all of the backroads, at no cost to us. We just had to let him manage the porcupines. He hoped that once his herd reaches 100-150 animals, which will take at least two seasons, he will be able to relocate 75 animals to Central Sierra, where he plans to continue the breeding program. Of course he will need approval to export wildlife, but said he is working on that with the help of the California Wildlife Service.”

The Stone Miller Township Council was skeptical, but with no cost to the township, they were persuaded to give it a try, and agreed to a limited pilot project.

The program began this winter, and it has had mixed success.

“The porcupines are very thorough, as I expected,” said Prof. Switzer, “and the crews are able to keep them headed in the right direction, and with the use of just chicken wire the porcupines have remained on the road allowance and not ventured into private property.

“The porcupines have been very thorough, as I expected,” said Prof. Switzer, “and the crews are able to keep them headed in the right direction and with the use of just chicken wire the porcupines have remained on the road allowance and not ventured into private property.

“The only problem is they do leave a mess, which is common even when equipment is used, and they take everything, even some material some residents would rather they left in place. We are trying to train them to leave sugar maples alone, and to focus on Manitoba Maples, for example, but it is not that easy. It might take breeding, and we might even get them to lay off tires and anti-freeze lines.” said Switzer.

Reeve Hopper said “there have been some complaints by landowners about the look of the roadsides when the porcupines have finished their work, but those have been rather limited.”

“I am encouraged,” said Prof Switzer. “I expect we will be able to expand to a full project in the coming months.

There is some local opposition to the project.

A group called “Free the Porcupines” objects to what they call and attempt to domesticate a wild animal

Joanne Penty is the spokesperson for the group.

“This is an insane scheme,” she said. “Wild animals should not be exploited and manipulated in this way. We are raising the matter with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.

When reached, the ministry said they “are aware of the concerns of the citizens group, but cannot comment on any ongoing or potential investigation in the matter for privacy reasons.”

A local farmer, who requested they not be named, also opposes the scheme.

“There is only one way to train a porcupine, if you know what I mean,” they said.