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Four-Day Hunt Over

German Police Catch Runaway Porcupine

The streets of the German town of Hamm are safe once more after police, the fire brigade, animal experts and residents finally managed to catch an escaped porcupine that had made passers-by jump during his nocturnal forays since last week.

A runaway porcupine that startled residents in the German town of Hamm by scurrying around streets at night looking for food has been caught in a combined operation involving police, the fire brigade and a zookeeper, police said on Monday.

"Stachi" had escaped by biting a hole in the fence surrounding his enclosure on Thursday and had been sighted waddling to and from a nearby supermarket and an adjoining fish stall.

Residents repeatedly called police when they spotted the porcupine over the weekend but the animal always managed to disappear by the time the officers arrived.

Stachi's luck ran out late on Sunday night after a truck driver spotted him sniffing behind his favorite fish stall next to the supermarket.

Police and residents gave chase as he dived into a bush, dashed under cars and hid in a pile of rubbish. He was finally cornered in the forecourt of a car dealership where a zookeeper lured him into a dog kennel and took him back home.

"Now everyone's hoping that Stachi's nocturnal excursions can be stopped. We shall see," police said in a statement.

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