North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[RW Spalinger <rwspal@earthlink.net>]

On May 9, 2004, at 8:08 AM, list@ginda.us wrote:

> I live in suburbia.  The answer might be different in a more rural or 
> urban setting.
>
> Skunks are good because:...

> Skunks are bad because:...

That, I believe, is a pretty fair assessment of skunks. Out here in the 
rural area, we have to be careful of skunks wandering about in the day 
time. They are mostly nocturnal and when they wobble around in the day, 
it pretty much means they are sick, most likely with rabies. In such 
cases the usually docile skunk can be quite aggressive, and my father 
and I both have been chased by rabid skunks.

When I was a child, I had a skunk as a pet. It had had its musk gland 
removed by a vet. It was a clean animal, and was quite tame, having 
been around me since shortly after its birth, and its mother killed in 
a tractor mowing incident.

Skunks are OK generally, a pest at times, and should be approached with 
caution always. They are fun to watch.

Randall Spalinger
SE Texas