Calgary skunk population on the rise
Posted Jul 21, 2016 10:06 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Love, as well as a pungent smell, seems to be in the air for Calgary’s skunk community.
Staff at the Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation say they’ve been dealing with a record number of baby skunks across the province this year, with the majority of the animals coming from Calgary. So far, they’ve taken in 57 skunks.
Holly Duvall, AIWC executive director, says all the skunks have put a strain on the organization’s resources.
“We are taking over 100 calls to our wildlife hotline at the moment,” she said. “A lot of those are skunks. So either people are seeing skunks and they’re not sure what to do, or a lot of times, at least once a day, we’re getting calls of skunk babies that have fallen into window wells, and they need help getting them out.”
Duvall says, people shouldn’t fret about the population boom in the city.
“There’s really not very much reason to worry if there are skunks living in your area or on your property, as they generally keep to themselves. A lot of people are generally unaware that they have skunks in their area. If you do get close to a skunk, they generally give you a few warning signs before resorting to spraying.”
She adds, the increase might have something to do with groups trapping the older skunks, separating them from the young kits.
