Sandra Nabucco was walking her dog in Gavea, south of Rio de Janeiro when a porcupine fell on her head and stuck her with hundreds of quills in her scalp.
The animal, which can have up to 30,000 quills, is believed to have fallen from a lamppost.
"It was a huge shock. I felt a thud on my head and then felt spines with my hands. The pain was enormous," Nabucco told Globo newspaper.
Nabucco had to pay a visit to the hospital where a surgeon removed the quills one by one with tweezers.
"I am a strong woman; an old person or child would have died. I also care about the animals," Nabucco said.