Blue Ridge Wildlife Center Patient of the Week: Striped Skunk

BRWC Ambassador Striped Skunk, “Bear” @BRWC 2024

Love is in the air… literally!

Have you noticed a strongly-scented odor in the air? It’s striped skunk breeding season! Although our ambassador skunk, Bear, doesn’t participate in this activity, he still wanted to show off his Valentine’s Day enrichment and teach everyone a bit about this time of year!

February to March is breeding time for our native skunks, with males traveling over 4 miles each night looking for females. Isn’t that romantic?!

Well, that’s where the romance ends. Skunks do not stay in coupled pairs like many of our other mammal species, including beaver and fox. Instead, males will try to impregnate as many females as they can each season. After copulation, they will part ways and the female alone will care for any kits that result from the brief affair. Typical.

While on the prowl, these sensuous skunks are very distracted. That’s why you may have noticed an increase in the amount of deceased skunks on roadways lately. PLEASE drive carefully especially at dusk, dawn, and nighttime when skunks are most active. Remember to use your headlights and high beams when appropriate and watch for glowing eyes on the roadside.

If you do find a skunk that is injured or appears sick, please do not handle it directly. Call us or your closest permitted rehabilitator right away.

Stinky but Significant

Striped skunks may have the bad reputation of being stinky neighbors, but they also offer significant ecological benefits! They help control rodent and insect populations which not only reduces damage to crops and gardens but also helps maintain a healthy balance within ecosystems.

Skunks are also an important food source for various predators. Fun Fact: The most common predator of skunks are great horned owls because they lack a keen sense of smell. While the stench might send other predators running, these owls are unfazed!

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