The Mount Vernon News
October 2, 2023
Dear Editor:
Last week we had a sick skunk wander into our yard. It staggered in large circles, had mucus on its face, and fell frequently, obviously sick with rabies or distemper. Neighbors phoned, texted, and shouted across the street to tell us and see what we were doing to dispatch it. I and others called the city police; they do not kill sick animals. They referred me to the Health Department; they do not get involved with wild animals unless the animal bites someone or a pet. I was told to get a professional animal person to trap the wild animal (and pay their generous fee out of my own pocket, I presume). We tried the Mount Vernon non-emergency number which helpfully patched us to the ODNR; they do not become involved in wild animal cases but helpfully referred us to someone who for a fee would trap the sick animal.
In desperation, we called a licensed wildlife specialist and he agreed to come out the next day to get the skunk. We had no way to contain the sick skunk so it would still be here when the trapper came the next day, so got little sleep looking out the windows to see if it was still in our yard.
Morning revealed the skunk was still alive, still making circles, and with no food or water was getting weaker. I had several children present and they were confined to the house while we watched the skunk. Then the turkey vultures came. They were scared off by one of many neighbors watching our yard. In late afternoon the trapper came, and with complete silence and minimal protective garb, caught the skunk and dropped the spraying animal into a bagged trap. He said it had distemper. He had the ultimate grace to tell us this was how he made a living but helped homeowners out who had a sick wild animal on their premises.
What we learned: No one in the city of Mount Vernon, the health department, or the ODNR will dispatch an obviously sick animal inside city limits. With as much wildlife roaming the city, it is surprising there is no policy in place that permits a police official to discharge a lawful weapon within city limits to protect public safety. Distemper lives in soil and is both contagious and lethal to skunks and outdoor cats; I now have a yard where every section is contaminated by distemper. I learned later the skunk had been wandering, spraying, and contaminating yards over the entire city block. It seems the only way an elected or hired city employee will take action to remove a diseased animal is to allow it to bite us or a pet so they can see if it has rabies. So much for the protective government!
Martha Lou Baker
206 Hillcrest Dr.
Mount Vernon, OH 43050
