Achi news desk-
Baby skunk season has arrived in southern Alberta, according to the Alberta Wildlife Conservation Foundation. (AIWC), wants to share a few tips for any Calgarians who might find one in their backyard.
The organization, which has been dedicated to rehabilitating injured and orphaned wildlife since it was founded in 1993, issued a media release on Wednesday announcing that three baby striped skunks had come into its care in the past week after being separated from their mothers.
Two, who are about three weeks old, were found alone after their mother was trapped in northwest Calgary and relocated. The babies are too young to survive on their own, so the AIWC clinic team will look after them until they are a little older, when they will be released back into the wild.
The message the AIWC hopes to send to the public is that prevention, rather than relocation, is the best approach for co-existence with skunks.
That means blocking denning sites, properly storing food waste and installing motion-sensitive lighting works better for co-living with skunks than relocating them, which breaks up families, putting baby skunks at risk .
The AIWC also wants to remind the public that skunks play a significant role in Alberta’s ecosystem, controlling pests such as mice, grasshoppers and caterpillars, which makes them useful for farmers and gardeners.
Anyone who finds a baby slumped in distress is asked to contact the AIWC wildlife hotline at 403-946-2361.
The organization says it currently has 13 orphaned or displaced skunks in its care.
