Skunks have few natural predators – and for obvious reason

On numerous evenings this summer, I’ve smelled a skunk’s rank perfume waft through our open windows. Sometimes the stench has been so strong and cloying that I was sure it would burn my nasal passages.

In the past I always hurried to close all our windows in attempts to stop the flow of stinky air which was quickly permeating our abode. But alas, this tactic never seemed to do much good because all I was really doing was locking the stinky air in.

Realizing that I had met my match, (the stinky skunk wins), I now leave our windows open and turn on our fans to the Warp Drive setting. OK, I admit our fans don’t have a warp drive setting but I wish they did when those little blighters choose to let one go. Its even worse if they decide to let one rip within close proximity to your open windows because you’re then forced to put up with the full potency of their spray which can be rather overwhelming.

The striped skunk, (Mephitis mephitis), weighs from 3.5 to 9 lbs. (2 to 4 kg) and ranges throughout the entire province. These critters are very common around cities and towns and their populations are far larger than people think.

Just a couple of weeks ago, only a block from our house, I accidentally walked right into one. It was about 10:30 pm on a steamy summer’s night and my wife and I were returning home from a walk with our dogs. The particular stretch of road we were on had no houses. Instead, there was a small swamp on one side from which frogs croak and chirr enthusiastically, and a dense woodlot on the other– prime habitat for a skunk!

As it turned out, my dog, a male of approx. 75 lbs., suddenly became interested in something in the scrub brush a few feet off the road. Pulling me along behind him in his insistence, we both saw the striped tail rise in a classic warning posture at the same time. As a result, I found myself frantically struggling to go one way while my dog wrestled to go the other – toward the skunk!

My wife was standing on the road with our other dog, safely out of harm’s reach or is that sprays reach? She heard me exclaim, “Oh no, SKUNK!” while scrabbling backwards. That’s when I turned around and fell flat on my face. I had become entangled in the dog’s leash and tripped on a stone simultaneously. Down I went, and all the while my dog-wolf hybrid was still snarling and pulling in the other direction. I was up on my feet again almost immediately, hauling with all my might on the leash, totally convinced that we would be sprayed any second. However, to my amazement we both made it to the road without being showered with it’s fragrant bouquet.

This is the second time I have come close to a skunk and not been sprayed. I can still vividly recall my first close encounter with an entire family of these guys. It occurred some years ago at a Provincial Park where I was working as a Park Warden. My partner and I had received a third complaint about a noisy and intoxicated individual who was disturbing the peace. The plan was that I would walk through the bush at the back of the campsite and come up behind this fellow, while my partner approached him from the front. Accompanying my partner and I was a friend of ours, who was on duty from the local OPP detachment.

It was a beautiful night, complete with full moon, which enabled me to see quite well as I made my way towards the back of the campsite. I was no more than 30 feet into the bush however, when I caught sight of a family of skunks trundling along just ahead. I froze, radioed my partner and told him I would probably be a while. He replied with a chuckle saying, “No problem.” Although this female skunk raised her tail a couple of times in my direction, she never sprayed, nor did I smell any hint of her potent scent.

Skunks rely on their reputation as providing a very smelly opposition when tangled with, so the majority of animals know to steer clear of them. Because of this they don’t have many natural enemies, and therefore, don’t often flee from danger. They are most often observed plodding along in a relaxed fashion, fully engrossed in their quest for grubs and other insects.

In a way I compare them to porcupines since both possess tremendously undesirable defense systems. It is because of these defenses that most animals don’t dare risk a confrontation. No doubt any animal stuck with dozens of porcupine quills faces agonizing prospects and possibly even death. Comparably, animals that are sprayed by a skunk, must endure the smell for many days. What’s worse is that these animals can actually be blinded temporarily by the greasy spray if hit in the face at close range. For some animals the blindness can be permanent. Clearly the consequences outweigh the advantages.

On occasion people will detect a musky odour in the air and quickly deduce that it has been dealt by a skunk. However, the red fox also exudes a “skunk-like” odour that can be quite strong. In rural areas where both fox and skunks abound, it is sometimes difficult to tell the difference between the two aromas if it has had time to dissipate.

As I’ve mentioned, few animals prey on skunks, but the Great Horned Owl does with regularity. These owls don’t appear to be troubled by the strong stench that is jettisoned at them from mere inches away. Their powerful talons seize the skunk, shocking it out of it’s normally apathetic sense of security.

From personal experience I have found skunks to be very patient and in most cases they need to be pushed before they’ll spray. I know it’s hard to do, but if you come across one while out walking, camping or whatever, try not to panic. Chances are very good it will ignore you and harmlessly continue on its way.