Spotted Skunk – The Tiny Survivor of Romero Canyon

Two hikers were walking along the Romero Canyon trail when they came upon a small, potato-sized shape lying on the path. It was a baby spotted skunk, and the mother was nowhere to be seen.

When the skunk arrived at the Wildlife Care Center, staff discovered he was severely dehydrated and his eyes were crusted shut. We flushed his eyes and administered fluids. Then, he was transferred into the care of our home rehabber, Dana, who specializes in raising baby mammals.

The skunk enjoyed lots of formula and grew up quickly. By September, he was old enough to spend time at the Wildlife Care Center, where he practiced climbing all over his enclosure. He even began perfecting the famous spotted skunk handstand—a warning display they do before spraying.



Finally, after 139 days of quality care, he was ready to return to life in the wild. We reached out to his rescuers, who showed us exactly where they had found him. On October 29, 2020, we released him back to Romero Canyon, where his journey first began.