Animal ambassador
Though not yet on public view, a small Western spotted skunk named Boo is making herself at home at Sequoia Park Zoo
There’s a new ambassador-in-training at Sequoia Park Zoo in Eureka.
Boo — who arrived in Eureka last November — is a small Western spotted skunk and is about 8 months old.
“While every species is an ambassador for their wild counterparts, certain ambassadors are worked with to be able to come out of their habitats to provide a close educational encounter for guests,” said Lindsey
Miller, a zookeeper at Sequoia Park Zoo.
“Currently,” she said, “that is the goal for Boo, so zookeepers work with her utilizing positive reinforcement and choice-based training to encourage comfort, confidence and other skills she will need to be a great ambassador for her species and local wildlife.”
For now, Boo is not on view to the public, but she is keeping busy behind the scenes.
“Boo will remain off exhibit until zookeepers are confident she feels secure and comfortable in her new surroundings,” Miller said. “Once ready for her public debut, visitors will find Boo in the Barnyard, where she will alternate time with Schreber, the striped skunk.” (Schreber has been at the Sequoia Park Zoo since 2014.)
“It is exciting to have two different members of the skunk family (Mephitidae) as they are vastly different, but both found in Humboldt County. Schreber is also an ambassador animal and can be seen when he rotates into the Barnyard,” Miller said.
“Western spotted skunks are fairly different from their more commonly seen cousin, the striped skunk,” she said. “They are significantly smaller, more arboreal than the striped skunks and have a different coat pattern, and behaviorally are pretty different which may be part of the reason people don’t encounter the spotted skunk
regularly.
“Another neat difference,” Miller said, “is their warning display before they use their potent spray. Boo got her name because, like all skunks, before they spray, they try and scare the predator away (Boo! I’m scary!) Spotted skunks do this by flipping up their hind-end and doing an impressive handstand display.”
Boo arrived at Sequoia Park Zoo on Nov. 6, 2020. Miller said she and her two brothers, Squirt and Beetle, were found by someone in Trinity County alone as babies.
“While every species is an ambassador for their wild counterparts, certain ambassadors are worked with to be able to come out of their habitats to provide a close educational encounter for guests.” — Lindsey Miller, a zookeeper at Sequoia Park Zoo
“Although good intentions, they attempted to rehabilitate the skunks without proper guidance or a license, resulting in the skunks being too habituated to people to return to the wild,” Miller said. “It is always recommended to call a wildlife rehabilitation facility if you find sick, orphaned or injured wildlife and (it) can be illegal to raise wildlife without a permit.”
California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials determined the three skunks could not be released to the wild and brought them to Turtle Bay Exploration Park in Redding to be cared for, Miller said.
“Sequoia Park Zoo has a great relationship with Turtle Bay Exploration Park and was offered one of the Western spotted skunks to help raise awareness for the species in general,” Miller said. “… After much discussion, Turtle Bay Exploration Park and Sequoia Park Zoo staff determined that Boo was the best fit for our zoo.”
She noted that while Western spotted skunks are not exactly rare, they tend to be elusive due to their size, nocturnal nature and tendency to be both on the ground or in the trees at times.
“They can be found right here in Humboldt County, but their range includes the western half the United States, central Mexico and parts of British Columbia,” Miller said.
“We are very lucky to have Boo living at Sequoia Park Zoo,” she said. “According to a database of accredited zoos, there are only a few living in human care, but this is not a complete census of all facilities. We do not have an exact number of how many Western spotted skunks are living at animal care facilities, but possibly less than 10.”
During her time at Turtle Bay Exploration Park and now Sequoia Park Zoo, Boo has continued to thrive.
“Boo is small, about 400 grams, which means even though she is a carnivore she prefers cover or areas she knows and can be flighty at times,” Miller said. “Otherwise, she is very smart and engaging though with confidence
that builds quickly — part of this can be thanked to the hard work at Turtle Bay Exploration Park and their staff for raising and caring for the spotted skunk trio in a way to encourage comfort and confidence in a variety of situations. She loves training, climbing and exploring and is very fun to watch interact with enrichment.”
When Boo is ready for her public debut, every visitor to the Sequoia Park Zoo will have the chance to meet the new Western spotted skunk in town.
Sequoia Park Zoo is currently open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with last entry at 4 p.m. The zoo is closed every Monday. For more information about Sequoia Park Zoo, go to https://sequoiaparkzoo.net.