Life Science log

Wild porcupine might be a tasty treat in countries around the world, but populations of the spiky rodent are coming under threat in Vietnam due to illegal hunting.Research from the University of East Anglia, published in Biological Conservation, has shown that the consumption of the Southeast Asian porcupine (Hystrix brachyura) as a speciality food is having a devastating effect on wild populations.Overhunting has been cited as the porcupine?s greatest threat, and the 1990s saw a reported population decline of at least 20 per cent.While commercial farming of porcupines has become more popular, and is actively encouraged by Southeast Asian governments, illegal hunting still goes on.Led by Emma Brooks, a team of researchers carried out an evidence-based case study to quantify the impact of commercial farming on the local wild population in Son La province in northwest Vietnam.They found that commercial porcupine farming is driving hunting, and is thought to be, at least in part, responsible for the decline of w