The porcupine-shaped hole in Oudtshoorn’s heart has officially been filled. Patricia de Quill is home after an escapade that left a whole town worried and frantically searching!
Oudtshoorn, South Africa (06 September 2026) – An urgent plea for help was shared to the Oudtshoorn community on Facebook this week.
Patricia de Quill, a young Cape porcupine at Cango Wildlife Ranch, had been moved into a new habitat. Her team discovered the next morning that she’d somehow snuck out overnight.
“Patricia was moved into a new habitat yesterday and, despite all usual checks being completed, our team discovered this morning that she had managed to find her way out overnight” the conservation centre shared at the time.
Patricia isn’t a wild porcupine. She was rescued as a tiny baby after being abandoned by her mother, and has spent her whole life in human care. She is fully dependent on her carers who raised her – Dedre, Jenna and Pippa. Understandably, her disappearance sent the Cango team into a flat panic.
The centre put the call out for help to find Patricia, and the Oudtshoorn community jumped on board instantly.
“From the moment we shared that Patricia de Quill was missing, our community showed up. You shared, called, sent WhatsApps, kept your eyes open and offered your time and resources. People we know, and people we have never even met, were ready to help us find our prickly friend.” the centre shared.
At least three local security services offered help. A local retirement village, town newspapers and guest houses were on the case like detectives. Another helper hit the road all the way from Hartenbos with her sniffer dog to track Patricia down.
The Cango team was covering serious ground themselves. They checked every ditch and shrub, pored over hours of security footage, sent drones into the air and walked kilometres on foot.
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Patricia’s daily walks form an important part of her husbandry training, enrichment and care. It seems that on her little adventure, Patricia stuck mostly to what she knew.
“It was an incredible reminder of just how valuable husbandry training, routine and the relationships between animals and their caregivers can be.”
As the sun sunk over Oudtshoorn, the team headed out for one last look, narrowing in on her location based on what they could see on the cameras. Eventually, they found her. Fast asleep in a nook. Totally unbothered by the small army that had spent the whole day looking for her.
“Fast asleep in a little hideaway near Cheetahland, completely unaware of just how many people were looking for her!”
The moment Patricia de Quill was found by her carers was caught on camera. It’s the wholesome stuff happy endings are made of!
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