Got to talking the other night, and someone pointed out that they hadn’t smelled a single skunk the last two years. I don’t know about two years, but I certainly haven’t smelled any this year, and haven’t seen any squashed by the roadside either.
For contrast, in past summers there must have been two or three times a week we’d have to get up and close the windows to keep out the stench at some point in the evening or at night. (This is in the suburban Boston area.)
So, what’s happened?
Some possible theories we came up with:
The population simply has crashed. I know some species go through regular boom/bust cycles and now its bust for skunks.
The coyote and fox populations in the area have taken way off. Might they kill and eat skunks? Or at least wipe out litters?
The skunk population hasn’t really changed, it only seems that way as a side-effect of the dog leash laws now being much more observed. The idea being that it was free-running dogs who were finding/harassing skunk and thus provoked the spraying. Without the dogs hassling them, we simply aren’t aware of the skunks being around.
I see at least three smashed on the road during my 6 mile trip to town. Additionally, there are three or four eating spilled bird seed under my feeders.
Coyotes could have an impact on skunks fairly quickly. I doubt that foxes would fool with them. I think great horned owls are one of their primary predators in urban or semi rural areas.
If a local bat colony were infected with rabies it would quickly affect skunks as well. The bats hit the ground at night and skunks and foxes are usually the first to find them.
I recall that back in the fall of 1975 the skunk population crashed at Cumberland Lake in Kentucky. Someone said it was a disease, possibly distemper, that took them out. Raccoons and foxes were unaffected.
As per KRC this is quite possible. Skunks population density apparently fluctuate very widely over time and disease tends to be the primary limiting factor. As populations peak distemper and rabies in particular become epidemic and the population crashes hard. As that happens skunk to skunk transmission ceases and then the population starts crawling upwards again to start the next cycle. Since they’re pretty fecund and adaptable said recovery can apparently be quick. I saw one cite for roughly five-year cycles, but I’m sure that varies as well from location to location depending on available resources.
We have plenty of skunks where I’m at in MA. My dogs a fan… He’s been sprayed 4 times this year in addition to numerous close encounters. I see a skunk or two every other night walking him.
Well, I’m glad for the sake of the species, though not thrilled at the idea of a colony of rabid skunks/owl/raccoons/whatever. Guess I’ll just enjoy the reek-less summer while it’s happening.
In my immediate neighborhood, we used to have plenty of skunks – seldom actually saw them, but eau de skunk was quite common, especially in the mornings. That hasn’t happened for at least a decade.
The fish and wildlife folks say it is because of competition with raccoons and possum. I don’t miss the skunk aroma at all, but the raccoons are a bit of a nuisance.
My dogs never caught/got sprayed by skunks in the first 33 years of my life here in this Ohio neighborhood where I have always lived. In the past 4 years my older dog (who died a little over 2 years ago) and my new dogs have gotten sprayed about 8 times now. EIGHT!
We are also having a higher than usual coyote population this year. And I have seen dead skunks but still see and smell live ones.
Wherever your skunks have departed from, they have arrived here. :-/
I live south of SF, on the peninsula. There aren’t many skunks around here.
Then, last weekend I drove up highway 4 to Arnold, CA, past Angels Camp and Murphys, and there must’ve been 6-7 roadkill skunks that had met their maker on the 150-mile drive. I do this run about once a year, and have done so for the last 15 years. I do not recall ever seeing any dead skunks on this route.
Plenty here, see one or two live ones a week and smell them just about as often just driving to and from town. I’m in the northern Sierra foothills, in a rural area just off I 80.
The skunk population around here waxes and wanes due to predation and rabies virus. Right now we have few, but 6 or so years ago we had a ton and I was bathing our dogs regularly.
On a related note, the porcupine population has shifted southward just enough that we see them, though rarely.
Friends in southern NJ are inundated with 'em. They’ve been trying to trap groundhogs that are messing with their gardens, but only seem to catch skunks(even an albino) They are NOT amused.
Before I read down I checked my state DNR website to see if there was some major skunk issue. What they had to say is in line with big fluctuations being the norm among skunks. IN DNR cite.
