Meet Quill, the three-legged porcupine stealing hearts (and hugs) at one Texas zoo

City of Amarillo

What Amarillo Zoo's newest resident lacks in limbs, he makes up for in personality.

A young three-legged porcupine named Quill "Porky" Smith has become a bit of an attraction at the Texas zoo. Quill arrived the facility on January 31 after he was rescued by Wild West Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. He was found on a ranch suffering from a gunshot wound to his front left leg, which had to be amputated.

Dylan Long, the zoo's visitor service specialist, told NPR's Morning Edition that without a leg, Quill likely wouldn't have survived in the wild. He would have had trouble eating and climbing trees to avoid predators—a porcupine's greatest defense mechanism.

Fortunately, Amarillo Zoo was happy to offer him a safe place to live. Quill, who is around 4 years old, settled into his new life in no time at all. He currently lives in a temporary enclosure that allows visitors to see him while work is done on a permanent home. He also spends time with zoo staff.

"Quill is doing great. He is an amazing animal," Berkeley Hilliard, Amarillo Zoo curator, said in a release. "He has made himself at home really fast. He enjoys hugging our keepers. He will actually stand up on his hind legs and grab onto our legs and hug us. We love him, and he has fast become a fan favorite here at the zoo."

Hilliard told NPR that Quill has also developed quite a passion for food.

"He loves to eat sweet potatoes, as well as blueberries and carrots. He likes it in big chunks so he can chew on it, hold on it, and then he closes his eyes in bliss," she said. "He's so happy eating that we sometimes think he might fall asleep while he's eating."

Is doesn't get much cuter than that, y'all!

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Now, before you start hugging porcupines, keep in mind that the North American porcupine has about 30,000 quills, each one possessing between 700 and 800 barbs. Do not attempt to hug a porcupine without the proper training and attire.