Kokanee’s parking lot porcupines have taste for cars

For unexplained reasons, porcupines at Kokanee Glacier Park trailheads, especially at the Gibson Lake access to the most popular trails, are vehicle prowlers.

They’re notorious for nighttime forays to gnaw on brake linings, electrical wiring and even tires of parked cars and trucks.

The nuisance is cyclical, becoming worse in some years, but it’s been going on for decades with grim results for victims.

Enough chicken wire for several vehicles is routinely left in the Gibson Lake trailhead parking area north from Nelson. However, veteran Kokanee Glacier Park overnighters bring a roll of chicken wire long enough to go completely around their vehicle for protection while it’s parked – a small but wise investment.