"Tails" from the Field - May 2021

Mission Viejo Animal Services Center received a call about a baby skunk in the City of Laguna Hills. Officer Enriquez responded to the scene and saw a small baby skunk inside a container in front of a home. He noticed the skunk was too young to be on its own, so he safely placed the baby skunk inside a crate – luckily without being sprayed. Officer Enriquez transferred the baby skunk to a licensed rehabilitator where it will be properly cared for until it is old enough to survive on its own.

When Animal Services receives a call for a baby animal that has possibly been abandoned or its mother died, an officer responds to the scene and assesses the situation. Once it has been determined the baby animal is too young to be on its own and there is no sign of the mother, the baby animal is impounded. Officers will then start calling licensed rehabilitators that can take the animal until it is old enough to be released back into the urban wild.

Did you know baby skunks live in their dens until they are about 8 weeks old? They will then go out with the mother to learn how to hunt for grub. They get their scent when they are born, but once they are 4 months old, they can spray that scent with precision. Skunks will use that spray as a last resort. They will first try to get away. If they feel trapped, they will stomp their feet on the ground and drag them back. If that still does not intimidate the threat, they will lift their tails up and appear to do a handstand before letting it go. While their threat is busy trying to remove the smell, they will run away to safety. Remember to enjoy watching skunks from a distance as they move gracefully looking for grub that we don’t want in our gardens.