Woman Visited Daily by Porcupine and Now It Has Over 200,000 Instagram Followers

It's happened again. I discovered a cute animal on Instagram, and now I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole—or should I say rolled down the quill hill? Because this isn't some fluffy rabbit; this is a hungry but adorable porcupine.

Meet Alfred the (Very Hungry) Porcupine

If you think you are a big deal online, meet Alfred, the porcupine. He’s gained over 230,000 Instagram followers and 2.8 million likes on TikTok thanks to his nightly visits when he politely asks for his favorite snacks.

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To be honest, I didn't know much about Alfred. But here's what I found on his Instagram bio: His new "hooman" neighbor "bought a house in Maine, and inherited a nightly visit from a porcupine."

And just when you think you discovered a little hidden gem, sure enough, The Dodo profiled Alfred not long ago.

So Now We Know Alfred the Porcupine's Life Story

Kari bought the house, and Alfred came with it. You could even say he's the landlord. When Alfred injured his paw, the local wildlife rescue asked Kari to feed him tasty fruits and keep an eye on his recovery. Alfred got better, fell in love with apples and now we all want to hug a porcupine—which, of course, we shouldn't do, but it’s nice to dream about.

It's easy to be wary of porcupines, but beneath that prickly exterior lies a pretty adorable and docile creature.

Did You Know Porcupines Have a Lot to Say?

I discovered this while walking down a country road when a baby porcupine—known as a porcupette, in case you didn’t know—began chattering away at me from a tree branch at eye level. After listening to its many squeaks and beep-boops, I decided to move along before Mom showed up.

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The last time I recall a porcupine going viral was actually because of its crazy vocalizations. You might recall Teddy Bear, the rescued porcupine with such a passion for corn that he'd give his handlers an earful if they mentioned taking it away.

Teddy's first viral video, from 13 years ago, racked up an astonishing 15 million views. I just added three more to that count!

You’ll be happy to know that the majority of comments on Alfred’s videos feel like one big porcupine hug—without the prickles. Many viewers are surprised to learn that porcupines can climb trees.

Kari is quick to point out that once Alfred recovered, he became an expert climber: "Alfred hates the UPS man, up the tree ... he’ll come down when he feels safe."