As the title implies, I just had what nearly turned out to be an odious encounter with a friendly neighborhood family of skunks!

I was on my way home from a friend's house and had just pulled up in front of my apartment complex. I had smelled the tell tale signs of a nearby skunk as I has pulled onto my street, but this is not an uncommon event when you live so close to a large wooded area, so I thought nothing of it. As I step out of my car, I catch movement out of the corner of my eye. When I look, I was shocked to discover that a large skunk is standing directly across the street, staring at me. I am further alarmed when I see that there are three small baby skunks loitering about behind said skunk! I know I am in jeopardy of being sprayed, as I am not perceived as a potential danger to this mother skunk's younglings.

Slowly, I close my car door, trying not to appear threatening. Unfortunately, the act of moving illicits a series of hisses and growls from the mother skunk and she edges onto the road, toward me. At this point, my mind is screaming 'oh crap, of crap, oh crap!' As the agitated skunk mother stars me down, I decide to throw caution to the wind. Moving faster than I think I ever have, I slide across the hood of my car, Dukes of Hazard style, and bolt for the door of my apartment building. As luck would have it, the neighbor that lives next to me was just coming outside and has just opened the front door. I run passed her, warn her of the looming skunk, then bolt for my apartment!

The worst part of the whole thing is that I have seen this skunk roaming the neighborhood in the past, but I never worried about it until now. I know it is the same one, because she has odd markings, like those of a badger (three white stripes and two black stripes, with the white ones being on it's sides and down the center of its back.)


After having my near disaster with a skunk, I thought I would see if anyone else has had any close encounters with wild animals in their life. Tell us your stories of when local wildlife made an unexpected impact on your life!