Good day to you fine folks! I hope when you are reading this that you are enjoying a favourite beverage and have had a really nice day. Today, we had a taste again of Winter. Winter is not ready to leave just yet even though we are about a week away from the Equinox. For me Spring begins either on March 1st or when I have heard the first Canadian Cobra Chickens, errm, I mean Canadian Geese return from warmer climates down south. I have heard others say they have heard them so I trust they are about, but I have yet to hear their familiar voices. I feel that Spring is the shortest and most elusive season that we have here in Alberta. There have been several years recently where we seemed to jump right from Winter into Summer with 25+ Celsius temperatures in May. This year though March is pretty on point with its “always the wrong jacket weather”.

The story I have for you today is about an encounter I had with one of the Urban Forest’s elusive night residents, the stripped skunk.

Skunks have been a part of the urban landscape for probably as long as people have been living in houses. They tend to stick to farmlands, grasslands, and forests but are increasingly seen in the city. Skunks will often build their dens under your deck, your front stairs, or really any protected area where they can dig down and create a nice little hole to spend the Winter in. They are not exactly afraid of humans (they will shack up right by you after all) but they don’t really like us all that much except when we leave out tasty garbage for them to snack on. These smelly members of the weasel family are very valuable to any ecosystem that they choose to inhabit. Skunks are omnivores and they will eat mice, voles, and even yellow jackets in your area. For those of you who have in ground gardens, they also love a fat tasty grub and will eat grasshoppers and other insects in the Summer. Yay natural insect and pest control!

I have only seen a skunk in real life probably less than a dozen times and actually closer to maybe five times. I find them adorable and I have a personal spiritual affinity to any black and white animal. For the few times I have seen them, they are usually running away from me. Their little fat bodies and short little legs are just so cute toddling away! One time my sister and I heard one outside our tent one early Summer morning when we were camping. We did our very best to stay as quiet as possible because we did not want to startle the wee furry into spraying us and our tent. I have heard they make really adorable pets when they have been de-scented but I am not sure I would have the heart to do that to an animal that was meant to have that as their protection from predators.

Over the last few months, I have been awoken several times by the scent of that protective substance. I was often in a deep sleep and was violently awakened by the assault on my senses. If you have never smelled skunk I am not sure I can even compare it to anything other than maybe marijuana (hence why is too is called skunk) but that does not come close. Marijuana smoke eventually dissipates unlike skunk spray; that smell can last for days in your home. I couldn’t get back to sleep. I was nauseous and my nose felt like it was burning. I would get up out of bed and put on every air filter and fan I had that would suck the air up and out of the house but very little would help. I tried breathing through my blanket or putting on some essential oils, but nothing helped. For a middle aged woman who has trouble sleeping as it is, having this sort of attack on your rest time was very frustrating.

I knew there were skunks in the area as a friend of mine who had lived in the same complex had caught one on camera under his deck. However, I did not realize that I too had a “stinky kitty” living under my stairs. Sure enough, I saw the den the next time I took the time to really look. At first I had thought a cat had dug out the den area (as we also have roaming cats about) so I did not give it any thought before. Now I wish I had because I could have prevented a lot of what happened next if I had known.

Last week, I saw that a trap had been placed alongside my neighbours window. They live in the ground floor and I above. I had not called my landlord about the sweet stink bomb yet, but I had thought about it. Perhaps one of my neighbours had. There are a lot of people with kids and small animals and having a skunk about is not really a good idea. Not only do they stink, but that can also carry rabies. I thought if the skunk was caught then perhaps he could be rehomed and maybe that would be the best. Obviously something was setting off the skunk’s defenses and that is not good for them either as it takes time to replenish their weapon of choice and they can be left vulnerable until it does. There are not many predators in the city that would choose to tangle with a skunk but we do also have coyotes in Edmonton and some dogs see that tail raising as an invitation to say hello.

Everyday I walked by that trap and everyday it was empty. The trap was covered in a plastic garbage bag and the bait that was being used was marshmallows. Yeah, I thought it weird too. I had a bit of self satisfaction at seeing the trap empty because I did have a secret hope that the skunk was just too smart.

Well, the marshmallows were just too much of an enticement (me too Skunky, me too) and last Friday my little stripey friend succumbed to the temptation. I don’t know what time the trap was sprung but as skunks are typically nocturnal, it could have been Thursday night. When I first saw him in the trap (and by the way, I am using the masculine only for convenience as I am not really sure of the sex of this being) I was not sure he was alive but as I watched for a bit, I could see his little back rising and falling. I thought for sure someone would be by for him soon.

Saturday came and no one had come by. I would poke my head out of my house every so often to make sure he was ok but again he was curled in a ball and sleeping. I sent a work order to my landlord to let them know that he was there and another person stopped by and I believe made a call in too. I went out in the afternoon and he was still there when I got back. I went out that evening and my black and white friend was on my mind all night. I hoped he would be gone when I got home after 11 pm…nope…still there. Now I was getting worried. He had not had food or water for at least 24 hours (but maybe more) and we were going to get a wind storm early the next morning. He had no shelter. I started to panic. I started to cry. What can I do? Can I get him some water? How can I cover the cage with something without getting sprayed?

I then thought to call the fine folks at Wild North. This organization is a rescue and rehabilitation center for wildlife in and around the Edmonton area. They also do a lot of education in the community about how to live with wildlife. I thought I should contact them. I called their helpline, but as it was now 1 am, I had to leave a voicemail. Friends on my social media were trying to be helpful and offer suggestions on what to do and I felt like I had to do something…anything…. but what?

I decided that the very least I could try and do is get the little guy some water. So I got a container that was shallow and I headed outside. I crept under my stairs with a broom so I could push the water to the cage without having to get too close. Skunky was sleeping but heard the water bowl scrap along the shale that covered the edge of the cement slab under my stairs and woke up. Our eyes locked and my heart broke into a million pieces. I managed to get the water pushed right up to the cage. Skunky was posturing a bit to tell me he was scared but he could not raise his tail too far. I kept saying over and over that I was a friend and I would not hurt him but I could still sense his fear. Once I backed away, his little nose started sniffing the air to see what it was I had put out. After he determined it wasn’t food, he curled up in a ball again. It felt like he was resigning himself to being caged. I bawled.

Next, I tried to figure out if there was a way I could get some old sheets on top of the cage to give him at least a little bit of protection from the cold. I tried to maneuver two long dowels and some old sheets over the cage but Skunky was not having any of that. He became very agitated and I knew that I was probably creating more harm than good. I backed away. Again our eyes locked and I just felt this wave of emotion wash over me. I felt helpless. The skunk for sure felt helpless. Why did it have to come to this? I was terrified that he would die in that cage overnight and it was so unfair. I also felt that it is just horrible of us humans to force another living creature out of its home just because they had some traits we do not like. Needless to say I barely slept a wink.

The next morning we had one of the worst wind storms that Edmonton has seen for a very long time. Power lines were down. Trees were knocked over (including one outside my window going away from the skunk …thank the gods for that at least) and the air temperature had dropped drastically. I was a walking exposed nerve and then I saw that Wild North had called me back!!! For the next several hours I was on the phone with Kyle from Wild North who gave me some great advice about how skunks should be handled and what next steps to take. It was suggested I call 311 which is the City of Edmonton help line but I found out then that they are closed on Sundays and so I ended up submitting an online ticket to Animal Control instead. I also called my landlord directly and they were able to get a hold of the fellows that laid the trap and advised that they were coming to get my little friend before the end of the day.

Skunky was picked up within the next two hours!

The fellows in charge of “pest control” advised me that they will take him somewhere to release him. They also set a new trap in case there were any more in that den. This time I have a direct number for them for if/when the trap is sprung again. Skunky left a stinky parting gift for us all so at least I know he was alive when they picked him up. Today is Thursday night and so far no other skunks have dared tempt fate. I am hoping no more do.

On Monday, Animal Control called me to find out how things were. They asked for the number for the pest fellows to remind them that traps need to be checked every 24 hours once they are set. Wild North also said they would call my landlord to advise them on proper deterrents for skunks as trapping and relocating is not the best for the skunk. We have a growing issue in my rental complex with overflowing garbage bins and garbage being left outside of the bin which also attracts skunks. Kyle from Wild North was going to mention this as well when he talked to them.

I could not help but still feel that I could have done more. Perhaps that is a trauma response from the many years of living as an undiagnosed neurodivergent; we always feel like we should have been “more”. Anyone I shared this story with said I did enough and likely did more than anyone else would have. I guess. What I am happy about though is now my landlord and these “pest control” fellows will be getting a bit of education on how to manage skunks. I am now going to pass that same information on to you.

What to do to deter skunks from moving in:

If you find a place under your deck, your stairs, or under a building that looks like there may be a resident there, you can do some of the following:
– use bright lights to deter them from denning
– place a radio close by set on a talk radio channel. Skunks don’t like human voices all that much. (Same Skunky, same…hahaha)
– place used cat litter or dog poop in the hole or buy synthetic coyote pee spray from Canadian Tire (or other home and garden store) to use as a deterrent. If a skunk thinks another animal is denning there, they will not move in.
– make sure any food sources such as garbage or the leftover seeds from a bird feeder are kept managed (that was my failing, I have a bird feeder and the leftover seeds would get swept onto the ground )

Once you have determined that you are skunk free, board up, fill in, or otherwise block that opening so that other skunks don’t move in. When one skunk moves out, two more seem to come along pretty quickly. What is good enough for one skunk…

Re-homing skunks is not recommended as the skunk will not know where food is, where to find a den, or what predators are about. If we are well into the Spring and Summer and it is baby skunk season (and dang they are sooooooo cute), it is best to live with the new family until they move on at the end of the year before it is time to settle in for the winter.

What did I learn from my Skunky encounter?

A good defense is better than a good offense. Or something like that. I will do better at deterring skunks from living under me. I plan on getting some of that coyote spray as I don’t have cats. I will also be more mindful of disposing of bird seed on the ground. We all could learn more about the other-than-human people that we share our urban spaces with and how we can support them. Having vibrant diverse communities includes our furry, feathered, scaled and otherwise friends too. Skunks in particular are a valuable community member to have in any ecosystem and we should do what we can to co-exist. However, there needs to be a balance between safety and existence (and in my case, sleep and existence).

Skunks can have some spiritual meanings as well when they show up in your life. For me, a skunk represents boundaries and standing up for oneself. This has been something I have struggled with for most of my life. I had a few other synchronicities around boundaries happen at the same time that Skunky came into my life and I will take a message from that. They also can represent Self Worth which is also something else I struggle with. If you think about how a skunk deters their would be predators, they use non violent but very clear and strong methods. We could all be a bit more like Skunk especially in today’s tense political climates.

Well, that is all folks for this loooooong post. I hope you enjoyed my journey and maybe learned a bit of something along the way. I will likely never forget my Skunky friend and the connection we shared. I sincerely hope he was able to find a new home and new friends and will live a long and skunky life.

Take Care of Yourself and Each Other
Melissa

Resources
Canadian Wildlife Federation https://www.hww.ca/wildlife/mammals/striped-skunk/ (Note: I used this website for some of the skunk facts but their re-homing suggestions are not actually recommended by others)

Wild North https://wildnorth.ca/humane-striped-skunks-deterrents/ – These folks are amazing and are a great charity to support if you are for animal welfare and taking care of our Wild Friends.