A huge exotic African crested porcupine has been spotted wandering around Spanaway over the last month.
It's taking neighbors by surprise and pets too.
Nickole Waite caught it trying to dig under her fence to get to her chickens, and says it was the size of her 60-pound dog.
"He's up to my knees, and that's how big the porcupine was with his quills," said Waite. "I have a quill. It left this for me when it went under my fence about a month ago. It's very, very sharp."
African crested porcupines are the largest of their kind and often bred as pets. To clarify, porcupine are rodents and eat fruits, veggies, tree bark, ect., but won't be going after chickens or other pets as dinner.
"Somebody probably purchased him. They're little cute babies, and then they grow up. They're the world's largest porcupine. They can get to be 60 pounds and not easy to keep as a domestic pet," said A Soft Place to Land wildlife rehab director Jasmine Fletcher-Glaze. "He's likely been hand-reared, used to people caring for him. It's not his fault that he's out roaming."
Fletcher-Glaze is working to trap the animal and transfer it to an Oregon zoo.
If you see the porcupine, call A Soft Place to Land wildlife rehab at (360) 761-2915. It's located at 14607 318th Street East, Graham.
