animal adventure

[amelia_petkova]

Before you read this story, I need to explain a few things. First of all, my college is your typical state school--in a small town, with the countryside nearby. As a result, animals can often get onto our campus, although it is usually just the typical squirrels, sparrows, and chipmunks. But once in a while we get something interesting. During the past couple weeks people have seen a pair of skunks about--a mother and a younger one. This is my encounter with one of them the other night:

(Amelia is walking back from the library, having actually gotten work done and not just reading for entertainment. It has been dark for a couple hours and she is looking forward to setting down her heavy book bag. Suddenly, she sees a skunk on the sidewalk only a couple feet away.)

Amelia: Oh, shit! Um, hi...you know, I would think you were really cute if I didn't know that you could spray me with stinky juice any moment.
Skunk: Ooh, good idea!
Amelia: ...
Skunk: (twitches its tail)
Amelia: (mentally) Please don't spray me, please don't spray me, please don't spray me...
Skunk: CHARGE!!! (starts running at Amelia)
Amelia: HOLY SHIT!!! (runs away and is chased by the skunk into her dorm building)

The above story is a lie. I have not been chased by a skunk, although I was telling the truth about my college setting and a week or so ago skunks were sighted. However, one of them did not try to attack me.

Still waiting for my CDs to arrive. (We wants the pretty music, preciousssssss.) Stalking the mailman is beginning to sound like a good idea. Yes, I am aware that it takes a while for mail to travel from Germany to the United States. But patience has never been one of my strong points.

Comments

[hasufin.livejournal.com]

There are reasons to be worried about skunks. Getting sprayed is not one of them.

Thing is, the musk glands that produce that noxious odor only have a very small amount stored up. And it can take several hours to several days to rebuild that reserve. ANd until it does, the skunk is largely defenseless.

Which means that a skunk typically wont' spray unless truly threatened. A spraying is typically presaged by a series of threat displays. Sort of the "Dude, did you miss the big black and white stripes? Back off or you're gonna get sprayed." So if you see a skunk doing a handstand... back slowly away, and you'll be fine.


The more real concern with skuns is that, as small carnivores, they're pretty likely to carry diseases, especially rabies. Since skunks normally avoid people, seeing some on a campus may be indicative of such issues. Rabies isn't always like "Old Yeller" - more often the symptoms are more subtle. SO there is cause for concern - jsut not sprayings. Msot people who get sprayed tend to have it coming.


And worst-case on the spraying front - yes, tomato juice does work.

[amelia-petkova.livejournal.com]

This whole thing reminded me on an old Rugrats episode--Chuckie gets sprayed by a skunk and nothing (not even the All-Powerful Tomato Juice) can get rid of the smell. The old-country grandparents come over, bringing a pot of borscht (sp?) for dinner, and the babies randomly decide to dunk Chuckie in it. Of course, it makes him non-smelly. Behold the power of cartoons.