Happy Skunky Valentine’s Day! – RedState
It’s Valentine’s Day, a day when we show our loved ones we love them by fattening the wallets of greeting card designers and florists. Now, if I sound cynical about this, I am, and if this surprises you, I would ask you: how long have you been reading my work? But on this day in mid-February, the first signs of spring are in the air – yes, even here in the Susitna Valley, where it’s cold and we have a meter of snow, but the days are getting noticeably longer and the titmice are beginning to sing their spring songs.
But in some places, that hint of spring comes with a distinct smell, which brings us to a place called San Rafael, California, where the local population of skunks experiences a romantic atmosphere. Well, some of them are.
Forget love, it stinks in the air for some Californians this Valentine’s Day.
Residents near San Rafael in northern California have complained of a pungent odor interrupting the mating season.
The authors? Female striped skunks fend off “unwelcome advances” from males during their mating season, which lasts from January to March. Baby skunks are usually born in May.
“What happens is the males chase the females, and if the female isn’t interested, she sprays them,” Melanie Piazza, WildCare’s director of animal care and hospital operations, told SFGATE. “It’s their defense against predators, but it’s also their defense against, you know, unwanted Valentine’s Day advances.”
NOW It is how you refuse an advance, ladies.
The striped skunk (Mephit mephit) is a curious beast. Not only can they turn their rear ends into chemical weapons projectors, but they are also fast, agile, intelligent and curious. Growing up in Allamakee County, Iowa, my father reluctantly encouraged them to hang around because they are better mouse hunters than any cat. He simply warned the kids to give them a wide berth, and since they are mostly nocturnal creatures, we usually only knew they were there by their scent.
And, now that I think about it, spring seems to be when we smelled them – a lot.
Skunks are members of the order Mephitidaeand the striped skunk shares the genus Mephitism with the hooded skunk, while the spotted skunk, common in the southern and southwestern United States, is a member of the genus Spilogal. Then there is the Hognose Skunk, found in southwest America, which is part of the genus Conepatus.
All of them can and will spray you.
Learn more: Army Gives Wild Valentine’s Day Advice to Less Attractive Men to Avoid ‘Honey Traps’: “10+5=”
Feel Good Friday: U.S. Olympic On-Ice Duo Shows What Love and True Partnership Are This Valentine’s Day
I have known a few people who kept skunks as pets. Literary genius Robert Heinlein described skunks as “affectionate pets for a careful master,” and keeping a skunk, I was told, is a bit like keeping a cat; They are affectionate, but generally go their own way, and being mostly solitary animals like cats, all places are the same to them. And one can always remove the chemical warfare capability by having the scent glands surgically removed.
Spring is coming to Northern California, and with it Valentine’s Day, which reminds us that skunks are also sensitive to the call of love. And, at least, the smell is better than you might encounter in Sacramento; given the choice between the smell of woke politics and skunks, I know I’ll choose skunks every time.
Editor’s note: Do you like RedState’s conservative reporting that attacks the radical left and woke media? Support our work so we can continue to bring you the truth.
Join RedState VIP and use promo code STRUGGLE to benefit from 60% off your VIP subscription!
