Living in the lap of mountain luxury has its good points. But it also has its porcupines.

Mountain Village above Telluride has been suffering tree damage and other annoyances from a plague of porcupines that seem to favor life in this ritzy town of log-and-rock mansions.

The spiny rodents have done more than $100,000 in damage to landscaping by gnawing bark off spruce trees. They have completely stripped some 12-foot-tall yard trees. They have eaten enough bark from 50-foot-high native trees to kill them.

Porcupines also like anything salty and sweaty, so they have chomped on plywood that is treated with a sodium-based substance, as well as on tool handles, footwear and vehicle tires. They’ve even snacked on a few village doors.

“I’ve seen porcupines around her for years, but they’ve never been so aggressive,” said Mountain Village homeowner Vicki Irwin, who has seven stripped trees on her property. “It’s all just a mystery.”

Full Story: www.denverpost.com

Photo of Young Porcupine by Jessie Cohen of Smithsonian: nationalzoo.si.edu

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