Complaints from residents about the smell — not to mention about sprayed dogs and skunks in the road — have recently streamed into WildCare, a nonprofit wildlife hospital and education center in San Rafael.
«What’s happening is the males are pursuing the females, and if the female is not interested, she sprays them,» Melanie Piazza, the director of animal care and hospital operations for WildCare, told SFGATE. «It’s their defense for predators, but it’s also their defense for, you know, unwanted Valentine’s Day advancements.»
California has two different skunk species, spotted and striped. The spotted animals are rare, but the striped ones are quite common in both urban and rural areas. With terrible eyesight, they use their strong sense of smell to forage. Although their search for food can create conflicts with residents and farmers alike, they can also be an asset for gardeners, as they eat slugs, snails, voles, mice and even wasps.
Mating season is approximately January through March, with baby skunks expected around May.
«One thing we tell people most frequently is that this constant spraying they’re smelling is temporary,» Piazza said. «For most people who call our hotline looking for advice just because they’re smelling it a lot, basically we tell them, ‘Patience is a virtue.’ If you can just wait it out a little bit, it’ll stop as soon as they find their mates. Then the females will go den to have their young.»
WildCare receives some 200 calls per year about skunks in Marin County, but the uptick in spraying and overall noticeable skunk activity during mating season occurs statewide, according to Piazza.