Those lands held many many wonderful creatures...very few of which I ever saw.
There were deer, wolves, elk and cougars sharing (uncomfortably perhaps) the sprawl of wild wood.
Raccoons and their cousin the black bear proliferated in the local dump.
Otters and muskrats swam in the rivers and ocean...seals of all types lounged and sunbathed.
I saw most of them, but rarely.
To glimpse a bear was a fine treat, and you never saw a cougar unless they were spotted running amok at the Empress Hotel in Victoria in '92. (I looked high and low for the news story, but couldn't find it anywhere!)
No sir, animals knew their place on the Island and they stayed there.
Not in Vancouver though.
I remember the first time a saw a coyote casually strolling out of a mall parking lot. I just about choked on my own tongue in my excitement.
And oh, the skunks.
I had never seen a skunk before.
To me they were a creature more rare than the elusive wolf; even the wolf you could occasionally hear calling in the dark distance.
Until I moved to Vancouver.
Suddenly, skunks were ubiquitous.
They were every where!
And if they weren't actually around their odor certainly was.
I've seen countless squished skunks, skunk families, skunks bustling about in vacant lots, and one very angry skunk standing on his/her front paws insulted by a passing bicyclist.
I confess that I rather like watching them chundle about in their little busy body way.
They look so inoffensive and mild mannered.
Till you get too close.
I can smell angry skunks all over my neighborhood; their rage is carried on the drifting breeze and straight into my bedroom.
Some people just haven't figured out how co-exist with them.
Okay, you drive a 4000lb car, but guess what?
Skunks should ALWAYS get the right of way.
24 comments:
snif snif snif..What is that awful smell?..LOL ;)
It's really just a black cat with a white stripe. Go pet it!
I've never seen a skunk in person, but have, um....experienced their scent many times!
I have skunks visiting my backyard all the time in the night searching for food. I can even hear them fighting each other!
I remember once I rescued a skunk that fell into a hole that was in my backyard. The little thing was so afraid, it started spraying everywhere in panick. Let me tell you, it was quite the sight.
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Once, while jogging around my neighborhood in Vancouver, I almost kicked a skunk as it waddled out from under a car!
I know! It's almost unbelievable!
Me,jogging!!!!!!
Skunks are nice to look at. Not so nice in the smell department, I'll admit.
-- david
Poor skunks! I'm sure they're not happy to be inundated with people...
phew~~~~
Skunks rock.
Until they spray your dog at 11 at night and you have to spend the next two hours covered in tomato juice and vinegar. They they suck.
AAAA-MEN! I live in TN and they are as many as the cockroaches are in Mississippi where I grew up. Ew.
Oh, and Limpy99 - try 3:30 am when you are awakened by the smell because your husband is standing over you mad as a hornet because his dog just got sprayed. And then you have to go to Walmart to by Massengil douches and rubber gloves. Trust me, anyone who dared walk within hearing range found out why I was there. I didn't want to be confused with a hooker buying her "supplies." So embarrassing. It worked though.
I wish we had all those great animals here. The little skunk walk is so cute. I've heard they can be de-skunked and kept as pets. I would love to hug one.
Hee Hee I agree.
Durell drives a truck for living and has hit a few animals in his time(after much braking and swerving of course) One time it was a skunk who met it's maker under the wheels of his rig,but rather than running off the road to safety,he stopped lifted his furry little tail and sprayed the truck! Brave little soul;p
Oh so true. Having grown up on the Mainland, it was quite a treat to come to the Island and find there weren't any. I don't miss them at all.
Ian
Hi Tai
The first time I met a skunk I was camping and went back to my tent to get something out from under my cot. I got down on my hands and knees and shined my flashlight under the cot and there I was nose to nose with ol' Pepe Le Pew. Fortunately he had his "business end" pointing the other direction...
When I was just a wee lad my family would take an annual cabin camping trip and sit out around the campfire until late at night. One evening a skunk wandered into the campsite, walked right over my dad's foot and just kept on walking. Pretty neat.
skunks are sooooo cute :) i see them sometimes wandering around my neighbourhood :)
So that's what that smell was...
Even dead skunks get the right of way!!! what the heck is chundle?
There's no doubt, we're all this way at times. x
I rather hate it when hot weather forces you to leave your windows open, and the skunks are doing their thang.... that smell is hard to handle. choke, sputter...
They look so cute and have so funny faces. We don't have skunks over here but I saw one on my visits to the States. Having this awfull smell as defense mean would be nice for me sometime ! Just for chasing away people I don't like ! Looking cute and stinking at the same time is a good combination !
Yep - growing up in Alabama, I often smelled the stinkers, but never saw them. I think the only one I've actually ever seen was on a camping trip - my pup Belle got me up in the middle of the night, and when we stepped out of the tent we were face to face with -a totally white skunk! I love seeing unusual things. A skunk would have been good enough, but an albino - I'm a lucky girl.
One must always respect the skunk or be sorry about the lack of it later.
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