What’s that funny smell?
Although you are very unlikely to spot a skunk in the UK wilderness, you are welcome to come and visit our Barleylands skunks instead!
Back in the 1980s (when shoulders were enormous and hair went crazy) many people in the UK were tired of dogs, cats and hamsters and decided to invest in a pet skunk instead. Fortunately, this crazy fashion was almost as short-lived as parachute pants! This was mainly because sensible new laws made it illegal to remove the stink glands of your new pet skunk. Although there have been several sightings of skunks running wild in the UK (as recently as 2022 outside Colchester A&E) the RSPCA is confident that these are escape artists or skunks which have been irresponsibly released by their owner.
Living happily in the Nocturnals area of the Farm Park, Barleylands’ five-toed, muscly little creatures are solitary in nature and change their diet according to seasonal abundance. They will eat plants, meat or fruits and have an excellent sense of smell and hearing. Our recently arrived skunk kits was born deaf and blind but already covered by a soft layer of fur. They will open her eyes at about three weeks. The mother skunk is very protective of her new arrivals. But, typically, male skunks take no part at all in raising their offspring. We also had some albinos born within the group too. See the video of them here!
Farm Park staff are handling the situation VERY carefully. Skunk spray is powerful stuff and can be picked up by the human nose at a distance of 3.5 miles! That’s if you are unlucky enough to be standing downwind at the wrong time…. We think you’ll agree that skunks would definitely NOT be a good choice of house pet, so why not come along and see them in a more natural setting?
You can book an experience day with the new skunks here and you can book your tickets for the farm park here.
