It arrived at Austin Wildlife Rescue, in Texas, with almost no quills or fur.
Its skin was covered in dry scales, weakened by a severe combination of mange and ringworm. It was in such bad shape that it could not even eat on its own. The rescue team immediately began treatment with antifungal and antiparasitic medications, not knowing how long such a small, battered body would take to respond.
As the days passed, the diseased patches gradually fell away. Healthy skin appeared underneath, followed by the first sprouts of quills, and with them, its personality returned too: it started playing, knocking over its food bowls, and resting with its legs stretched out, as if it no longer had anything to fear. It still has weeks of treatment ahead and almost a year before its fur fully grows back, but its caregivers already know for sure: “It’s really a character”, they say about this porcupine who decided to heal in style, mullet included.