10,000-year-old porcupine fossil goes ‘missing’

Gone without a trace: The teeth and jaw fossil believed to be that of a porcupine embedded in the cave walls of Gua Matsoorat in Ipoh, before it disappared. — Photo courtesy of Kinta Valley Watch.

IPOH: A fossil, believed to be that of a porcupine dating back 10,000 years, previously embedded in a cave wall at Gua Matsoorat near here, has gone missing, raising concerns about the protection of geological heritage sites.

Experienced guide, volunteer, explorer, and rock climber, Mohd Zairis Abdul Rani said in August last year that he, together with the limestone hill conservation group Kinta Valley Watch, discovered the fossilised teeth and jawbone of the mammal.