A family-of-three have introduced a very unique fourth member into their fold.
Baby is a nine-month-old porcupine who enjoys a life similar to that of a human child.
Frans Krans and his wife, Cecilia Williams enjoy cuddles with the animal despite the prickles on his back.
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Sometimes, the porcupine even snuggles up with their eight-year-old son, Thabo, sneaking into the child’s bed when he is asleep.
But Baby also has his own nest, which he loves to take naps in – located under his parents’ bed.
In the short time that the porcupine has been with the family, it has become evident that he has quite a fussy nature.
He porcupine isn’t a huge fan of strangers but is very relaxed around his family, and rarely raises his razor-sharp quills.
Cecilia has also discovered that he loves buttermilk and porridge but turns his nose up to it if he finds little lumps.
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He hilariously only likes to eat his food if it is served inside a plastic lid – never a bowl.
“He gets upset if he’s disturbed,” Frans told What’s The Jam.
“He doesn’t like strangers.
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“He always knows when it’s tea time and he waits to be let outside.
“Baby enjoys all kinds of plants but he especially loves the leaves of the Keisie peach tree.
“We have to be careful when we pick him up that his quills don’t scrape or prick us but we’ve only had one or two light pricks.”
Baby had a rough start to life.
The couple found the porcupine while driving back home after visiting a friend.
Frans heard a loud thud as a truck passed his car.
When he went to investigate, he tragically discovered that his vehicle had hit a female porcupine who had just given birth to two babies.
The mother passed away, along with one of her newborns.
The other one was barely clinging to life as Frans wrapped the small creature in his jacket and took it back home.
He said: “The babies were still in their membranes.
“He was as small as a mouse, a little red thing.
The couple desperately tried to get the porcupine to feed using a baby bottle but he refused.
Cecillia said: “We tried everything.
“On the third day, we put a little milk in a plastic lid and he started to drink from it.”
Ever since, Baby has become the centre of their household at the farm in the Boshof district, South Africa.
He is now mature enough to wander around outside on his own but always makes it back home and scratches the door at 10pm to be let in.
The family’s pet cat has even welcomed the porcupine as its new prickly sibling, and the pair sometimes eat together.
Cecillia said: “The older he gets, the longer he stays out.
“The other night he only came back at midnight and I was worried sick.
“I can’t sleep until I know he’s home.”
The manager of the farm where Frans works, Hannes Naudé, didn’t believe it when he heard that his employee was raising a porcupine.
He once half-jokingly offered Frans and Cecillia £860 to buy Baby.
But the couple didn’t even give it a second thought.
Frans said: “The money will run out and then we won’t have that or Baby.
“And no amount of money will give us the love [that] Baby has brought us.”
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