It was a sweltering day in Washington Boro, Pennsylvania, when the team at Raven Ridge Wildlife Center (RRWC) got a call from a nearby resident desperate for help. The guy, named Mark, told the RRWC team that he’d been looking for a volleyball net in his
garage when he discovered a black and white animal tangled up in it.
“[He] was very upset about what he saw and smelled in his garage,” RRWC wrote on Facebook. “The unpleasant odor filled the space …”
To Mark’s surprise, a small skunk had snuck into the garage unannounced and sadly got his head stuck in the volleyball net. As the skunk attempted to free himself, the netting only became tighter around his neck, sending the poor little animal into a fragrant panic.
“[T]he skunk had wrapped itself tightly in the net and was releasing an unpleasant odor,” RRWC wrote.
Mark was nervous to approach the skunk, but he couldn’t bear to watch him struggle in the heat. While waiting for the RRWC team to arrive, he used a small plastic swimming pool to shield the skunk from the relentless sun and kept a close eye on the little guy from a safe distance.
“Dealing with skunks that find themselves in such situations can be dangerous, as they may spray or bite when scared,” RRWC wrote. “It's best to leave these situations to experienced and vaccinated professionals.”
Thankfully, RRWC’s headquarters is only 15 minutes away from Mark’s house, and they soon arrived to help.
It didn’t take long for the team to realize that they couldn’t safely remove the skunk from the netting while he was alert and conscious. So, they carefully sedated him until he was sleepy enough to be handled.
Minutes later, the RRWC rescuers removed the last bit of netting from the skunk’s neck and checked him over for injuries.
“Fortunately, it had only mild abrasions around its neck and a small open wound on its leg,” RRWC wrote.
The team swiftly shuttled the skunk back to their headquarters and gave him a safe place to rest, which he seemingly needed.
“The skunk slept for a long time, clearly exhausted from its ordeal,” RRWC wrote.
You can watch more footage from the skunk’s rescue here:
Sadly, this is not the first wild animal to be rescued from sports netting by the RRWC crew. As part of their outreach efforts, the RRWC team continues to urge people to put away all unused sports netting in hopes of avoiding more instances in the future.
It was a heart-racing rescue effort, with the blazing sun and volleyball net squeezed tightly around the skunk’s neck. But thanks to Mark’s quick thinking and compassionate efforts, the skunk is now receiving round-the-clock food, water and antibiotics at RRWC.
And, as the rescuers see it, it’s only a matter of time before the sweet boy is ready to return home.
“Our team is confident that it will make a full recovery and be released in a safer location,” RRWC said.
