A young female porcupine, named 'Mackenzie,' embarked on an accidental 2,000-kilometre journey across British Columbia after stowing away in the wreckage of a small plane crash near Mackenzie. Unbeknownst to salvage workers, she traveled by helicopter, boat, and flat-deck trailer to Kelowna. Discovered at a salvage yard, she was rescued by the Interior Wildlife Rehabilitation Society, sedated, and then flown back to Mackenzie by a volunteer pilot for release, highlighting an unusual wildlife rescue and relocation effort.
Stowaway porcupine travels by helicopter, plane, boat and truck on nearly 2,000-km round-trip across B.C.
CBC NORTHERN B.C.British ColumbiaMackenzieWildlifePlane crashes
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A young female porcupine, named 'Mackenzie,' embarked on an accidental 2,000-kilometre journey across British Columbia after stowing away in the wreckage of a small plane crash near Mackenzie. Unbeknownst to salvage workers, she traveled by helicopter, boat, and flat-deck trailer to Kelowna. Discovered at a salvage yard, she was rescued by the Interior Wildlife Rehabilitation Society, sedated, and then flown back to Mackenzie by a volunteer pilot for release, highlighting an unusual wildlife rescue and relocation effort.
- 1 Plane crash occurred near Mackenzie.
- 2 Porcupine stowed away in wreckage.
- 3 Wreckage transported to Kelowna salvage yard.
- 4 Porcupine discovered at salvage yard.
- 5 Interior Wildlife Rehabilitation Society rescued the porcupine.
- 6 Porcupine transported to Summerland facility.
- 7 Big to the Rescue transported porcupine to Penticton airport.
- 8 Pilot Jayson Biggs flew porcupine to Mackenzie.
- 9 Conservation officers released porcupine into the woods.
- Successful return of the porcupine to its natural habitat.
- Demonstration of inter-organizational cooperation in wildlife rescue and rehabilitation.
- Highlighting the unusual circumstances and challenges of wildlife transport over long distances.
What: A young female porcupine, dubbed 'Mackenzie,' accidentally stowed away in the wreckage of a small plane crash. She then undertook an unexpected 2,000-kilometre journey across British Columbia, traveling by helicopter, plane, boat, and truck. The porcupine was discovered at a salvage yard in Kelowna, prompting the Interior Wildlife Rehabilitation Society to intervene. Rescue volunteers sedated her for removal, examined her health, and then arranged for her transport back to her original home in Mackenzie, where she was released by conservation officers.
When: The journey began after the plane crash (no specific date, but implied recently). The porcupine was discovered at the salvage yard and subsequently rescued and transported back to Mackenzie (all implied recently). Pilot Jayson Biggs described his flight as 'probably the longest day of flying I’ve ever had,' indicating a recent event.
Where: The journey took place across British Columbia (B.C.), Canada. It started near Mackenzie, a community in northern B.C. (about 100 kilometres north of Prince George). The porcupine traveled to Kelowna (a salvage yard location, over 800 kilometres from Mackenzie). She was taken to the Interior Wildlife Rehabilitation Society facility in Summerland and then transported from Penticton airport back to Mackenzie, where she was released into the woods.
Why: The porcupine's journey was accidental, as she stowed away in plane wreckage. The rescue and relocation effort was undertaken because wildlife rehabilitation centers are required to release animals close to their original homes to ensure their well-being and return them to their natural habitat.
How: The porcupine stowed away in the plane wreckage, which was then transported by helicopter, boat, and truck. Upon discovery, the Interior Wildlife Rehabilitation Society was contacted. They sedated the porcupine to extract her. The society posted online for transport help, leading to the volunteer group Big to the Rescue arranging for a pilot, Jayson Biggs, to fly the porcupine back to Mackenzie. Finally, conservation officers released her into the woods.