The Story of Edna

The Story of Edna, The Albino PorcupineIllustrations by the Children of the York, Maine School System

Story by Hannah Gennaro, Grade 5, assisted with data provided by the Center for Wildlife

Front cover illustration by Julianna Kiklis, Grade 5

Back cover illustration by Joshua Gennaro, Grade 3

Edited by Kate Headen Waddell

Graphics by Julie Garman, Pipedream

Copyright © 2012 Center for WildlifeAll rights reserved.

ISBN-13: 978-1481020510 ISBN-10: 148102051X

The Story of Edna, The Albino PorcupineChapter One: Edna is Born

Chapter Two: Edna Gets Found

Chapter Three: The Center for Wildlife Raises Edna

Chapter Four: Edna’s Enclosure

Chapter Five: Edna Goes for Walks

Chapter Six: Edna Educates

Chapter Seven: Porcupines Help Forests

Porcupine Fun Facts

What We Have Learned from One Another

1Ambassador Series, Vol.2

Edna is BornHi, my name is Edna. I am a North American porcupine. Notice anything super cool and unique about me? Look close… need any hints? Oooo you are lighting fast! Yes, I am not a boring brown, black or gray porcupine, because I am an albino. That means I am white with pink eyes – and that makes me extra special! I live at the Center for Wildlife in York, Maine, a place with nice people who take care of me. This is the story of how I came to live here.

Hannah Gennaro, 5th Grade

2Center for Wildlife

I was born in the spring of 2009 in a cozy spot that my Mom made for us. Can you tell which one is me? Come on, it is kind of obvious don’t you think? I’m the cute one on the right!

I traveled around the forest with my Mom, feeding on her milk. Just add some mud and you have some yummy chocolate milk! Delicious! Ah, those were the good old days I tell ya, just cruising along singing my favorite tune. Guess what my favorite tune is? It is by Lady Gaga… yup, Born This Way.

Alea Galbadis, 3rd Grade


Grazing around in woods and meadows… long walks with my Mom… man, life was good!

My Mom sometimes needed to climb trees to find food so she could have the energy to feed me milk all the time. When she did, she would leave me at the base of the tree to wait for her. I knew how to stay very still and safe just like a statue. One time while I was waiting, I got very tired, and before I knew it… snore, snore, zzzzzzzzz…

Brooke Parsons, 2nd Grade


Edna Gets FoundI remember I was dreaming of the delicious food my Mom was getting for me up in that tree. Visions of hemlock needles and yummy leaves danced in my head. I never worried when she left me because I always knew she would come back with treats.

Well, maybe I’d worry just a little bit and that is why I always practice my ninja moves. Aiiii-yah, back off now, I have quills and I’m not afraid to use them!

Evan Rankin, 3rd Grade


That is my battle cry that I practice yelling as I spin through the air shooting quills at the enemy. Just kidding, we can’t shoot our quills, silly, but sometimes I wish we could!

As I dreamed of the sweet taste of hemlock, something made a noise. I felt like something strange was near me. I heard it, I smelled it, I sensed it. It was too bad, because I was just in the middle of a really tasty dream!

Jay Gardoqui, 3rd Grade


When I opened my eyes, I saw a giant figure reaching down to grab me. He pried me from my spot at the bottom of the tree. I knew he was taking me someplace, but where? Is he the enemy? Should I use my ninja moves? He better watch out, my Mom is going to be mad. Don’t mess with Moms in the wild! They are pretty protective of their babies. If you think my ninja moves are scary you should see my Mom’s. She is a black belt!

Mary Kocev, 4th Grade


The Center for Wildlife Raises EdnaIt turns out the guy was not the enemy, he was just trying to help me. He brought me to a hospital for wild animals called the Center for Wildlife. Other people just like the nice man put me in a covered box so I couldn’t see the tall predators. They tried to help me feel safe.

Caitlin Edminster, 2nd Grade


The people at the Center for Wildlife told me that the man was a kind-hearted person who thought I was abandoned. Silly man, doesn’t he know anything about porcupines? He didn’t know that my Mom was just up in the tree. They explained to the man that this behavior is normal for a porcupine, and they went back to the woods to try and return me to my mother. But she couldn’t be found. I think my Mom would be happy to know that I am in good hands.

Luke Healey, 1st Grade


We headed back to the Center for Wildlife. My new friends gave me proper nutrition and milk that was almost the same as the milk my Mom would give me! We albinos can get sick very easily, so they knew to take extra special care of me. I could get used to this!

Did you know that porcupines love to dance? I’m not kidding. Just have an adult search for “Albino Porcupine Dance by Edna White” on YouTube and I’ll show you my moves! The music was added afterwards silly, they don’t play music at the Center because we need it to be nice and peaceful.

Ella Grace Abisi, 3rd Grade


Edna’s EnclosureMy Center for Wildlife friends realized that I would be safer living with them because I wouldn’t survive as an albino in the wild without my Mom to protect me. I was also very sick a few times because of my special albino genes, and they knew they could give me medicine if I ever needed it again. So they got right to work setting up my enclosure. I got my own outdoor room! Yea, I love this place!

Tyson Mathews, 4th Grade


My new space was so cool! They tried to make it like my natural habitat, with trees for me to climb and everything! I even got to nibble on the bark. Yum! Do you have treats and climbing trees in your room? I didn’t think so!

Kathryn Fountain, 2nd Grade


Humans can be scary (my Mom taught me that they are predators!), but being around them all day let me get used to them. I later learned that they can actually be pretty nice. They feed me and clean my enclosure. (I can be pretty messy.) Now I trust humans! Especially my Center for Wildlife friends! I still practice my ninja moves and you should too because you just never know when you might run into a predator.

Riley Short, 3rd Grade


Edna Goes for WalksPorcupines need to exercise, just like humans! I pump iron at the gym and sometimes break a sweat! Just kidding. But my friends do take me for long walks, just like Mom used to do.

Lily Feugill, 2nd Grade


Even though I like my enclosure, I sure do love going into the woods for walks. When I’m in the woods again, my body recognizes that I am still a wild animal! I sniff around looking for food, just like my Mom taught me to do. My friends let me wander, but not too far. I can always find them by their scent. Pheew! I think humans are kind of stinky, poo tinkey! Just kidding, you humans don’t smell that bad.

The humans always come with me on my walks. I think they’re worried I might run away.

Samara Kern, 1st Grade


I really can’t run very fast, I mostly just waddle around like a duck and sniff around like a beagle, looking for treats and other interesting things. But I am excellent at climbing trees! Ah, fresh air! This is keeping me healthy!

Are you a klutz sometimes? Come on, you can admit it. Well I’m sort of klutzy and sometimes I wipe out when it gets steep, whoaaaaa… and just roll and roll and roll until I hit flat ground. Imagine if I could shoot my quills? How cool would it be if I went rolling down a hill shooting my quills? I’d yell, “cowabungaaaaa!” and all the predators would run away as fast as they could.

Jillian Dorazio, 4th Grade


Edna EducatesI love going with my friends from the Center for Wildlife to the schools, teaching kids about animals and especially porcupines. Learning about me will educate kids, and teach them what to do if they come across a wild animal. But I think some of you are wild animals!!

Colleen Daly 3rd Grade


I love seeing all of the kids’ wonderful smiling faces when they meet me. I make lots of new friends when I travel to the schools. I don’t know how to count, but I bet that I’ve met thousands of children and helped them to understand me better and learn about protecting wildlife.

But I still don’t understand why no one ever wants to give me a hug! Maybe it’s because I have 30,000 quills all over my body. But don’t worry, I can’t shoot them silly!

Will Orso, 2nd Grade


When kids ask questions, it gives everyone more knowledge about porcupines and other animals. Like, did you know when porcupines prune trees they keep them from getting sick or having too many insects live in them? I love it when everyone raises their hands all at once to ask questions, because the audience looks like one giant porcupine! Get it?

Billy Bachelder, 3rd Grade


Porcupines Help ForestsPeople don’t understand much about porcupines, especially albino porcupines! Did you know that porcupines help the forest, just by being ourselves and doing what we do? That’s right, we rock! Oh yeah!

Porcupines are pretty important. We help the forest by eating the bark off of trees. (Now don’t try that at home kids!) This creates holes in the trees for other animals to live in. Like who? Owls, that’s WHOOOO!

Cameron Dalton, 2nd Grade


Porcupines also like to dig pits in the ground. This turns the soil, making perfect spots for seeds to grow. I may be all white, but I have a green thumb! They call porcupines “ecosystem engineers.” That sounds important! But you can just call me Edna, Edna White.

Lily Goldberg, 2nd Grade


I sure hope you enjoyed reading my story, and learned a lot, too! Always remember, if you see a baby porcupine at the bottom of a tree, run for your lives before they start busting out their ninja moves! Just kidding. If you see any animal in the wild, it’s probably best to leave them be – especially during nesting season. If you are not sure what to do, call my friends at the Center for Wildlife, they will know!

Charley Feugill 3rd Grade

We would like to thank Kristen Lamb, Michelle Gorayeb, Susan Hansen and all the rest of the Center for Wildlife staff, volunteers and interns; Yeoman Technology

Group for contributing the editing and graphic design to make this book happen; and all the students at York elementary and middle schools who participated in the art contest.

Hannah Gennaro 5th Grade

Alea Galbadis 3rd Grade

Brooke Parsons 2nd Grade

Evan Rankin 3rd Grade

Jay Gardoqui 3rd Grade

Mary Kocev 4th Grade

Caitlin Edminster 2nd Grade

Luke Healey 1st Grade

Ella Grace Abisi 3rd Grade

Kathryn Fountain 2nd Grade

Tyson Mathews 4th Grade

Riley Short 3rd Grade

Lily Feugill 2nd Grade

Jillian Dorazio 4th Grade

Samara Kern 1st Grade

Colleen Daly 3rd Grade

Will Orso 2nd Grade

Cameron Dalton 2nd Grade

Billy Bachelder 3rd Grade

Lily Goldberg 2nd Grade

Julianna Kiklis 5th Grade

Charley Feugil 3rd Grade

Joshua Gennaro 3rd Grade

Thank You!

Reader’s Art Contest: Have some fun and color Edna, or draw your own illustration of Edna. Then upload your art as a photo to the CFW Facebook page

www.Facebook.com/CenterForWildlife to compete in our reader’s art contest.

Porcupine Fun Facts • Porcupines are the second largest rodents in North America, after beavers. Porcupines are

nocturnal, which means they are active mainly at night.

• Porcupines have approximately 30,000 quills all over their bodies - except for their underbelly. Porcupine quills are actually modified hairs with microscopic barbs on the tip. If lost, the quills will usually grow back within a couple of weeks. Porcupines cannot throw or shoot their quills; instead, they will turn their back to a predator and strike out with their quill-covered tails!

• Porcupine quills are covered in a greasy antibiotic layer. This can help prevent infection if a porcupine accidentally quills itself!

• The porcupine’s number one predator is a fisher, a close relative of weasels and ferrets. Fishers will circle the porcupine quickly to disorient it, and use quick jabs at the porcupine’s face to knock it over and gain access to its vulnerable underbelly.

• Porcupines have long claws and are very adept climbers. They spend most of their time foraging for bark in conifer trees. Porcupines are strictly herbivores, eating only plants, fruit and bark.

• Unlike other mammals in cold climates, porcupines do not hibernate. The abundance of edible bark from conifer trees means porcupines are able to remain active all winter long. In the winter, porcupines will also take shelter in dens, favoring those in rocky cliff areas.

• Porcupines crave salt in their diet, so they sometimes get hit by cars when they try to eat the salt used on roads for snow removal.

What We Have Learned From One Another• Porcupines play a very important role in forest ecosystems. Nicknamed “nature’s pruners,”

porcupines help keep destructive tree pests such as hemlock woolly adelgid and emerald ash borer from spreading. By “pruning” our forests they also prevent overgrowth of certain species of vegetation and allow for others to flourish!

• Humans can help porcupines by co-existing peacefully with them, and covering trees they may not want chewed instead of shooting or trapping porcupines.

• Because we rely on healthy forests, eat the same food and drink the same water as wildlife, paying attention to wildlife health helps to keep humans healthy too!