A skunk scavenging for food. Photo by Thomas Atkins.

By Jerome Peterson

For those of us who chose to watch the cartoon, “Looney Tunes”, the affect was effective and possibly handed down to other lunatic generations. Regardless, we all had favorite characters that struck us in odd and appealing ways. Take for instance Pepé Le Pew. This skunk character definitely leaned into the French culture as well as depicting a major hormone problem in that he couldn’t tell the difference between a female skunk and a black female cat, which by the way accidentally always had a white stripe painted down its back.

The nocturnal striped skunk is the most common around the Mother Lode territory. With its two white stripes down the back, it is a constant source of endless jokes because it squirts a smelly fluid from scent glands under its tail. However, it gives fair warning before squirting, by stamping forefeet, hissing, and raising its hair. Indeed, skunks are nocturnal creatures from the weasel family tree and of course are not allowed out during the daytime according to Almighty Mother Nature; yet, it has been known for skunks to break their curfew and wander about during the daytime, say for instance, if the weather is gray with overcast clouds. It has also been brought to my attention that skunks will even hang out around light poles hoping to snag an unsuspecting, tasty moth.

According to Animal Control, there have been eight reports of skunks and eight captures in the last couple of weeks. What follows is a hot tip, real life encounter that happened at the infamous Memorial Park of Tuolumne City. Jerome Peterson reports: “A thoughtful, unsuspecting Tuolumne Park and Recreation District worker went to the gazebo that is in the middle of the park to get a can of gas that is stored there. As he casually made his way to the door, he happened to look up between spaced out thoughts. Not more than ten feet from him was a skunk giving him the evil eye – or should I say evil tail. This was between 11 and 11:15 a.m. Being the crackerjack worker that he is, the worker whipped out his cell phone and called his superiors who immediately called Animal Control. They in turn explained that the Park and Rec people should contain the suspected “rabid skunk” until they arrived. The word was sent out and along with two employees and two locals, the quartet attempted to herd and contain the skunk that was about the size of a small cat. This ended up in a hilarious scene with four humans running around, waving arms, trying to avoid being sprayed, and hollering noises thinking the sick skunk would behave. HA and HA-HA!

A worker from Frontier Satellite, which is next to TPRD’s office, saw what was going down and rushed to the scene with an extension pole. Along with the Park employee, the two talented individuals pinned the poor critter and contained the victim under a trashcan. Not before, however, the aggravated weasel sprayed just about everything within its range. The next step was to wait for the professionals of Animal Control to arrive, while constantly fanning a hand in front of the face, hoping for fresher air.

Soon, a crowd of curious people gathered not far from the scene of capture. When Animal Control workers arrived, about thirty minutes later, they hopped out of the truck and proceeded to perform their duties. Then, cracking the noon air, a local punk hollered from the distant crowd, “Animal Killers”. This of course did not set well with the Animal Control workers since they knew if they didn’t put the skunk down, now, it would die very soon, or worse, affect other animals such as domesticated dogs and cats. According to one of the workers, once a skunk gets rabid it will die within a 24 to 48 hour period after it is infected.

Ignoring the idiot’s protest, the workers lined their net with what looked like a clear trash liner. One slowly lifted the can while the other lowered the net. It was an easy capture since the skunk acted bewildered. The poor thing gave its last defense as it sprayed the liner with all that it had left. Moreover, the workers knew immediately the skunk was too sick to treat as it showed signs of disorientation and a crusty build up around the eyes. The female worker put her foot on the head of the disillusioned victim and shot a “promised land” relaxer into its stomach. In moments, the skunk was motionless and dead.

What can a person do if one encounters a sick or possibly rabid skunk? Immediately call Animal Control at 984-1338. If they cannot be reached, call Tuolumne County Sheriff’s department at 533-5815. They will in turn relay the call and someone will come to the scene. A sick skunk is considered an emergency – so don’t delay. When calling, give details about the skunk’s behavior, condition, and what it is actually doing. To help out even more, watch where the sick creature goes, stand guard, or follow. You, being the concerned citizen for the critter, could even go the extra mile like the crackerjack park worker and talented Frontier Satellite employee and capture and contain the animal until help arrives. Careful, though, it has been said that skunks can spray up 10 to 20 feet. Just a word of advice, to you my readers, there is no man-made deodorizer that can hold a candle to the scent of an angry skunk.