Porcupine Atop Elevated Metro Tracks, Operations Halted Briefly

Nagpur: In a rare and unusual incident, a porcupine was spotted running along the Nagpur Metro tracks between Congress Nagar and Ajni stations, triggering a rapid rescue response from both metro staff and forest officials. The incident briefly disrupted metro operations, though services resumed smoothly afterwards.Metro officials speculate that the animal may have accessed the tracks from an at-grade section near the airport or a nearby forested area. The animal's presence on the elevated metro tracks, though, remains a mystery, leaving authorities and onlookers both concerned and amazed.Kundan Hate, Coordinator at the Transit Treatment Center (TTC), told TOI, "We received a call at 10am reporting that a porcupine was spotted on the metro tracks. Our team reached the location and boarded a metro that was stopped midway between Ajni and Congress Nagar stations. The team deboarded around 10.30am and began the search operation, which continued for nearly two hours until 12:30pm, while metro traffic ran continuously."The rescue operation involved a combined team led by forester Sudhakar Maraskolhe from TTC, assisted by Bandu Mangar, Chetan Barskar, and driver Swapnil Bhure, along with metro employee Dilesh Meshram and his team. The porcupine's unpredictable movements made the operation particularly challenging. Team members had to repeatedly hop on and off the metro, chase the animal along slippery tracks, and carefully navigate moss-covered sections made hazardous by the ongoing rain.During the operation, Dilesh Meshram slipped on the moss, sustaining injuries, and his mobile phone was damaged. Despite the risk posed by the porcupine's sharp quills and the hazardous conditions, the team successfully captured the animal without further incident.A medical examination confirmed the porcupine was unharmed, though visibly exhausted from its trek across the tracks. Officials have arranged for the animal to rest before being safely released back into its natural habitat.While services were minimally affected, authorities are reviewing safety measures to prevent similar occurrences in the future. For commuters, the incident was a bizarre spectacle: A reminder that urban landscapes often share space with wildlife, and that quick thinking and courage are sometimes required to ensure the safety of both humans and animals.