Wayward porcupine on interstate saved with shovel

[July 23, 2008]  SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) -- A porcupine that wandered onto the eastbound lanes of Interstate 90 in Spokane and found itself trapped has been rescued by a Washington state transportation worker with a very long-handled shovel.

Washington State Patrol Trooper Mark Baker said several motorists called the State Patrol Monday morning to report the creature's predicament.

The animal had managed to make it from the median barrier to the right edge of the freeway but couldn't get over the concrete barrier.

Baker wasn't sure how to help. But a state Transportation Department worker stepped in with the shovel, just the boost the porcupine needed.

___

Information from: The Spokesman-Review, http://www.spokesmanreview.com/

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.