Porcupines cause $100K worth of Damage in Mountain Village

So I guess our little "prickly" friends have been making some State/National news. Funny, I had not seen this reported here in Telluride.

Buy I have seen at least 6 porcupines here in the Telluride Area, and Schlappi our dog had his fair share of in counters too. One of my favorite sightings was watching a porcupine waddle up the ski slope.

However, I know they live around our house (because Schlappi "found" a couple of quills in his nose), but I have not recognized any damage.

Anyway the full AP story is below. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ham4h2cXRvbaY5_kxgcpcn5eukLgD95FA5780

TELLURIDE (AP) - Porcupines are becoming a prickly pest for Telluride-area residents.

Residents say the rodents are chomping on the bark of spruce trees, yard trees, and have killed 50-foot-high native trees. The damage is estimated at more than $100,000 in the Mountain Village above Telluride.

Porcupines also favor salty and sweaty items, so plywood treated with a sodium-based substance has become attractive to them. They've also munched on shoes, vehicle tires, and tool handles.

Mountain Village resident Vicki Irwin says she's never seen the porcupines be so aggressive.

Some possible reasons cited for the porcupine's behavior are a harsh winter last year that ramped-up their appetites and the rodents can roam freely because many of the town's 4,100 resident's live elsewhere most of the year.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)