Whether it actually damages nature is unclear. “One porcupine naturally causes less damage than a hundred of these animals,” says Ronald Bijl, a ranger for nature management in the De Wieden area. “In principle, our policy is to keep the population of exotic species, which also includes the porcupine, as short as possible. You don’t want it to become a larger group.” Bijl has not yet seen the rodent himself. “Giethoorn is a large area, so we don’t actively search for it. But if we do come across the animal, we will have to consult with the province.” There is a good chance that the animal escaped or was dumped at some point, says Bijl. “If someone gets fed up with it, it sometimes happens that animals are released into the wild. Of course, we can’t rule that out here.”
