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Citizen complaint of the day: Tarnation, skunks!

By adamg on Fri, 09/13/2013 - 7:49am

A nose-holding citizen reports from Shawmut Avenue in Roxbury:

2 skunks out and about on the sidewalk. SKUNKS!!!

Neighborhoods: 
Roxbury
Free tagging: 
Wildlife
skunks


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Comments

By anon on Fri, 09/13/2013 - 8:06am.

I saw those guys yesterday, too, under a car! (Now, I didn't think to call 4500... I just left 'em alone).

By anon on Fri, 09/13/2013 - 8:35am.

Be glad they're not bears.

By Detachment on Fri, 09/13/2013 - 8:40am.

I saw one walking down the sidewalk in Brighton in August seemingly without a care in the world. There were also several days last month where I didn't see any but there was an extremely powerful odor of them in the neighborhood. I'm not sure if one had died or simply sprayed a dog in the area. 'Glad I didn't run into any while walking my dog.

By Mick T. on Mon, 09/16/2013 - 3:48pm.

Used to see skunks and racoons all the time in Brighton on Parson Street down near the Pike.

By anon on Fri, 09/13/2013 - 9:18am.

in one 24-hour period this summer, I saw a nice, healthy-looking skunk, four raccoons and a woodchuck. Like Mutual of Omaha in my yard.

By Ron Newman on Fri, 09/13/2013 - 2:53pm.

I got sprayed a few years ago at Mass. Ave. and Russell Street. Had to throw out a whole bunch of clothing.

By anon on Fri, 09/13/2013 - 9:39am.

Is this....rare? I see and/or smell skunks all the time in Roxbury. Once, I saw what I thought was one huge skunk waddling by, but it turned out to be 4 babies all clumped together. Cute little things.

By adamg on Fri, 09/13/2013 - 10:04am.

I just liked the complainant's skunk shock.

By Sarcastic Sam on Fri, 09/13/2013 - 2:30pm.

I could swear I read an article about asking folks to crush their empty yogurt cups before recycling (particularly the Yoplait-shaped ones) because they are the perfect shape to get stuck on a foraging skunk's snout.

Sticks in memory just because the thought of a skunk wandering around with a yoplait cup stock over its face gives me the giggles ( "hey. what the.....anyone? little help? Little help over here? I promise I won't spray you!)

By Gattaca on Fri, 09/13/2013 - 10:02am.

Insane I tell you. What are these damn animals doing in our sanitized city?!

By roadman on Fri, 09/13/2013 - 10:19am.

City sends DPW crew to oust skunks. Skunks get upset and spray crew.

Citizen sends second complaint to Citizen's Connect about intolerable skunk smell.

By anon on Fri, 09/13/2013 - 11:37am.

I have seen skunks in Dorchester and East Boston. I'd prefer skunks over racoons which are also plentiful. Don't bother a skunk and it won't bother you.

Is there a bit of culture shock due to the conflict inherent when folks conditioned to sanitized suburbs and exurbs meet with the unruly hodge podge of various forms of human and non-human life that manage to thrive in cities?

By merlinmurph on Fri, 09/13/2013 - 2:37pm.

Seriously? This is city people freaking out at their best. We people out in burbs are used to this stuff. What's funny is when you city people take a ride "out to the country", like Stow, Berlin, Harvard, etc. and freak out when you see a turtle. ;-)

By Gattaca on Fri, 09/13/2013 - 2:43pm.

Where?

By Michael Kerpan on Fri, 09/13/2013 - 2:46pm.

...but we once had a weasel or fisher (or some relative thereof) cross our backyard.

By anon on Fri, 09/13/2013 - 3:15pm.

Now that I'm in NYC it's been years since I've smelled a skunk (wish I could say the same about a few other odors....) and this summer when I was up in WMass visiting the folks, I caught a whiff, and it took me a minute to remember what it was.

I have a hard time believing that there are no skunks in NYC (in the very literal sense) but I have not smelled one in the six years I've been here.

By Michael Kerpan on Fri, 09/13/2013 - 3:24pm.

They're there:

http://gothamist.com/2011/03/18/skunks_continue_th...

By anon on Fri, 09/13/2013 - 3:33pm.

Middle Village?!?! That's practically Nassau County....

It could be because I don't live near a large, quiet wooded area, like a cemetery. Yeah, I'm not far from Prospect Park, but I bet there are too many dogs to make PP skunk friendly.

By Michael Kerpan on Fri, 09/13/2013 - 4:21pm.

... in the Queens article -- there were even skunks sighted in Manhattan -- which seemed to really terrify people.

One year we (probably) had _rabid_ skunks around our house. (Incontinebt stinkiness is one symptom).

By Brookline Turkeys on Fri, 09/13/2013 - 2:58pm.

We think we can give the complainant something to really worry about.

By Michael Kerpan on Fri, 09/13/2013 - 3:13pm.

... how edible these wild turkeys might be? Thanksgiving is coming up...