Skunks Are a Plentiful Nuisance on the North Shore
As grub season peaks in New Trier Township, the stinky wildlife are more likely to be digging up people's lawns and ending up as road kill.
After several years on the rise, the population of skunks in New Trier Township appears to either be continuing to rise or holding steady, according to those who monitor the pungent black and white critters in North Shore villages. “It’s way up there,” said Katie Sweeney, Glencoe’s community service and animal control officer, regarding the current population of skunks in her village. “The (Illinois) Department of Natural Resources is not exactly sure why.” Sweeney said the mild winter and apparent lack of an outbreak of a disease that depletes the skunk population, like distemper, are likely contributing factors. As is a the current bountiful crop of grubs, the larva of the Japanese beetle, which skunks and other area wildlife feed on to…
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Bonnie Larson
8:33 am on Sunday, October 28, 2012
Yes, I also had a big skunk digging up my backyard early one afternoon. A Northfield policeman came and chased him out by squirting him around the yard with a hose until the skunk found the gate. My hero! more ›