They may look a bit prickly, but Maymont’s newest animal residents are real extroverts. Two female porcupettes — the official name for baby porcupines — have spent the last few weeks exploring and settling into their specially designed nursery room. They will make their public debut on Friday, July 25, when visitors to The Robins Nature Center can watch them play, eat and nap through the large nursery room windows.
The two young porcupines were born in Michigan in May and needed a new home once they were weaned because they aren’t equipped to survive on their own in the wild. The pair will move into an outdoor habitat built just for them along the Virginia Wildlife Trail, which is undergoing renovation this year as part of the Maymont 2025 initiative and will reopen in 2026.
One porcupette is named Sandy, through a gift from a generous Maymont donor, but the other one needs a name. Maymont invites the public to help suggest names by making a donation to support animal care and the Maymont 2025 initiative between now and August 17. Four names will be put to a community vote between August 22-28, with the winning name to be revealed at The Robins Nature Center on September 6, and then on social media and Maymont.org.
Through the fall, the porcupette nursery will be included in the immersive experience offered at The Robins Nature Center, which features active play areas, interactive learning stations, and nearly 30,000 gallons of aquaria filled with river otters, fish, turtles, snakes and amphibians of the James River ecosystem. During the summer, the center is open six days a week, Tuesdays through Sundays, from 10 am to 5 pm. During the school year, the center is open to the public Fridays through Sundays to accommodate student group visits on weekdays.
Starting August 1, Maymont is introducing a new series of special behind-the-scenes experiences, “Porcupettes Up Close,” allowing small groups inside the nursery to learn more about the elusive woodland creatures. The half-hour sessions include an animal keeper talk, Q&A, enrichment exercise and photo op, and may be reserved in advance through November at Maymont.org.
“We are delighted to provide a forever home to these adorable porcupettes as they grow into their roles as animal ambassadors at Maymont,” said Parke Richeson, Maymont President & CEO. “Porcupines were once native to Virginia, until habitat loss and hunting depleted their numbers in the mid-1800s. They are beginning to return to our region, but are still very rare to see.”
“The environmental educators at Maymont are very excited to highlight porcupettes,” added Krista Weatherford, Director of Programming and Community Engagement at Maymont. “These two little ones are very active and curious and allow us to teach visitors and students about the special adaptations they’ve evolved to survive as the second-largest rodent, after beavers, in North America.”
Free parking is available at The Robins Nature Center, 2201 Shields Lake Drive. Admission to The Robins Nature Center is $10 for adults, $8 for children ages 1-6, and free for Maymont members and anyone with a SNAP benefits card as part of the Museums for All program. Maymont’s 100-acre grounds are free to enter from 10 am to 7 pm during daylight savings period, 10 am until 5 pm when days are shorter.
