Wildlife // Living in Harmony With Wildlife
Living in Harmony With Skunks
A skunk is one of the most peace-loving, non-aggressive animals you could ever meet. A skunk is also extremely near-sighted. Skunks will only "shoot" their defensive spray when frightened—they will give you plenty of time to back off by stamping their front feet as a warning. Only as a last resort will a skunk turn and fire the foul-smelling spray from his or her anal glands. This is the skunk's only defense. They can bite, but that isn't much of a defense against a large predator.
Solving Conflicts Compassionately
Skunks do most of their foraging at night. However, it is not uncommon for healthy skunks to appear during the day.
If you see an injured skunk, contact a state-licensed wildlife rehabilitator. (Keep the name and telephone number of one in your wallet or programmed into your phone—your local humane society, animal control department, or parks department usually can provide this information.)
A skunk who appears ill is far more likely to have distemper than rabies, and distemper is not contagious to humans. If you see a skunk who obviously is sick, do not call a "nuisance wildlife" trapper or "pest control" service. Call your local animal control department. Ask the officers if, should they find it necessary to euthanize the skunk, they will do it with an injection of sodium pentobarbital so that the death will be painless. If they do not use this method, please notify PETA's Domestic Animal and Wildlife Rescue & Information Department (DAWRI) immediately, so that we can contact the agency and offer to work with it to develop a protocol for euthanizing animals via lethal injections.
To effectively keep skunks from frequenting your property, target the aspects of your property that attract them.
A skunk's diet consists mainly of insects. Skunks, along with raccoons, squirrels, moles, starlings, grackles, and crows, dig holes in lawns and gardens in search of insect grubs. This digging leaves small cone-shaped holes and patches of upturned earth. Many gardeners welcome the services of skunks and other grub-eaters, since it saves them from having to kill the grubs themselves.
If the turf is being damaged by the grub-digging, simply controlling the grub population can eliminate this. By far the most effective way to do this is to keep or introduce the grub's natural enemies. Avoid chemical pesticides and fertilizers, since these can harm beneficial as well as harmful organisms. Milky spore disease is the biggest natural enemy of grubs and has been largely responsible for the widespread reduction in grubs over the last 40 years. Commercial formulations of milky spore, such as "Grub Attack," are available and can be applied to affected soil. Spores can be applied anytime, but you'll get the best results in spring or early summer.
You also can prevent skunks and other animals from frequenting your property by keeping garbage containers tightly sealed at all times. Discourage the feeding of wildlife in your area—such artificial food sources attract all kinds of wildlife, not just the ones who are targeted. Skunks look for places to make a den, so seal off sheds and openings under porches and buildings. Like raccoons, they make a den when they are going to have babies. If skunks have already taken up residence, tolerance is the first and best approach. Once the young are big enough, the family will vacate the area. However, if absolutely necessary, the family can be evicted easily by making the area inhospitable by putting lights, radios, and ammonia-soaked cloths inside the den area. This will prompt "Mom" to move her brood to another location. Or, if there are no babies in the den, you can install a one-way door. For sales of one-way doors and good illustrations of how they work, go to www.tomahawklivetrap.com/products/39.html.
In the unlikely event that an individual skunk needs to be trapped, use a cage trap that traps the animal alive and unharmed. Cage traps can be purchased at your local home improvement center in the lawn and garden department or online at www.tomahawklivetraps.com. Once you have trapped the skunk, cover the trap with a blanket to calm the animal and discourage him or her from spraying. Trapping should only be used as a last resort, and it must be followed by habitat alteration that will discourage other skunks from moving in to fill the vacancy.
For more information about skunks, please upload the Fund for Animals factsheet on skunks at http://www.fundforanimals.org/uploads/fs_co6.pdf.
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