The spiky animal helps people develop the economy and escape poverty.

Carefully cleaning each hedgehog cage on his farm, Mr. Nguyen Tien Ai (born in 1966, residing in Dung town, Thanh Chuong, Nghe An ) said that in order for hedgehogs to grow healthy and disease-free, the cage must first be kept clean and airy.

"If we eat clean and live clean, the hedgehogs must also live clean. Only then will they be healthy and disease-free," said Mr. Ai, adding that hedgehogs, despite their thorny appearance, are not as difficult to raise as people often think. Thanks to hedgehogs, his family's economy has gradually become more stable than before.

The spiky animal helps people develop the economy and escape poverty photo 1

Mr. Nguyen Tien Ai invested in a barn system of more than 500 square meters.

Mr. Ai said that in 2011, after reading an article about the highly effective porcupine farming model in the North, he immediately learned about its characteristics, care methods and output. Realizing that porcupines could grow well in his hometown, while no one had tried it, Mr. Ai "took a risk" and bought them to raise.

“That day, I bought two pairs of breeders to raise. Many people said I was reckless because this was a new breed, no one had raised it yet. Seeing the porcupine with bristly quills and sharp thorns, everyone was scared. I thought it was a gamble, but now I see its value and that it brings a good direction for economic development,” said Mr. Ai.

The spiky animal helps people develop the economy and escape poverty photo 2

The spiky animal helps people develop the economy and escape poverty photo 3

Although hedgehogs have sharp spines, they are easy to care for and have low raising costs.

Mr. Ai said that porcupines eat a variety of agricultural products such as corn, potatoes, and vegetables. In addition, the cost of taking care of porcupines is very low, less than 1,000 VND/head/day, so they are very easy to raise.

In addition, hedgehogs are less likely to get sick if you always keep their cages clean and airy. To help hedgehogs breed more, Mr. Ai himself researched how to mate them. "I usually put the male hedgehog in an iron cage and then put it in the female's cage to test it out. If after 1 day the female hedgehog doesn't bite the male, then it's considered compatible and can be mated," Mr. Ai shared about the special mating method.

Thanks to his diligence and good care techniques, after more than 10 years, Mr. Ai's farm has developed steadily with more than 300 porcupines, including dozens of breeding pairs. Porcupines from Mr. Ai's farm are widely consumed in Nghe An, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City at a stable price of 300,000-350,000 VND/kg.

Every year, Mr. Ai sells more than 1 ton of porcupine meat and many breeding pairs, bringing in about 400 million VND in revenue. "Porcupine breeding pairs can be sold from 1.5 kg, each pair costs 3 million VND. Porcupine meat must be over 10 kg," said Mr. Ai.

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The spiky animal helps people develop the economy and escape poverty photo 5

The cage system invested by Mr. Ai is solid, sturdy and airy.

Not only is he a good farmer, Mr. Ai is also trusted by the people and has held the position of head of the residential block for the past 10 years. Whenever someone wants to learn about the porcupine farming model, Mr. Ai is always ready and enthusiastic to guide people so that they have more directions for economic development.

After a long time of raising porcupines, Mr. Nguyen Tien Ai assessed that the model is stable and can completely help people develop the economy and escape poverty. However, porcupines are wild animals that can be raised with conditions, so there needs to be support policies from local authorities and organizations so that people can feel secure and have a foothold to raise them and escape poverty.

Mr. Phan Van Hoang, Head of Thanh Chuong District Forest Protection Department confirmed: In the district, there are a number of households raising animals such as weasels, bamboo rats, and porcupines, and all of them have been instructed by specialized agencies to register for captivity in accordance with the law.

Mr. Tran Phi Hung - Head of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Thanh Chuong district commented: "Mr. Nguyen Tien Ai is a typical farmer in innovative production thinking. His porcupine farming model brings high efficiency, inspiring and motivating people in the region to develop the economy together."