Late last year, Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center got a call about a skunk who desperately needed their help. A resident of Mesa, Arizona, had spotted the skunk stuck inside a recycling bin when they had gone to take out the trash.
Berk Martineau,
a member of Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center’s rescue team, got to the scene as quickly as possible. When he arrived, he found that the tiny striped animal had gotten his head trapped in the small circular drain at the bottom of the recycling bin.
“This skunk is pretty stuck,” Martineau said in a video for The Dodo.
Martineau and Dani Branchini, another rescuer with Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center, came up with a plan to free the distressed skunk. Branchini tucked the skunk's tail under his body and wrapped a towel around him to avoid getting sprayed.
Meanwhile, Martineau climbed into the recycling bin to get a closer look at the skunk’s head. Because the little animal had been stuck for so long and was struggling to free himself, he looked extremely uncomfortable and was covered in ants.
“His face looks pretty gnarly,” Martineau said.
Martineau began slowly pouring oil onto the skunk’s face to try to gently coax him out of the drain. He used a light touch as he worked, careful not to harm the already stressed animal.
“It is crucial that we are being as delicate as possible when trying to remove this skunk from the drain and not tugging and pulling too hard, leading to further injuries,” Martineau said.
Finally, Martineau and Branchini were able to remove the skunk from the recycling bin. The skunk immediately seemed relieved. Martineau had been hoping to release the skunk right away, but after seeing that he was still feeling the effects of being stuck in the drain, they decided to transfer him to the conservation center clinic.
“His face is so swollen,” Martineau said.
Martineau got the skunk set up in a comfortable kennel with plenty of food and water so he could rest for a few days. As the skunk calmed down and recovered from his stressful experience, his swelling began to go down as well.
“Thankfully, his injuries were relatively mild and we didn’t have to do too much other than getting the skunk back on his feet and comfortable so that when he was set back out into the wild, he would be ready to go,” Martineau said.
After just a few days, the skunk was ready to return to his home. As Martineau released the adorable furball back into the wild, he felt grateful to have helped the tiny creature get a second chance at life.
