Skunk pack 'spotted' in English countryside

North American skunks are thought to be stalking the English countryside. A young skunk, which has been nicknamed Ozzy, was handed into a wildlife centre after it was spotted in the isolated Forest of Dean, Glos.

Experts believe the animals could have been released into the wild after being kept as pets when new legislation banned removing their scent gland in 2007. The foreign invaders - known for their pungent scent and distinctive white stripe - are thought to have mated and multiplied in the wild.

They have recently been reported rummaging through rubbish and prowling allotments near Coleford.



This black and white skunk - whose nickname is loosely based on 'osme', the Greek word for smell - is now being cared for at the Vale Wildlife Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre in nearby Tewkesbury, Glos.

Caroline Gould, the centre's founder, said: "When he was bought in we had no idea what to do with him and frantically searched the internet for advice.

"There could well be a family of wild skunks which are living quite well in the countryside. There have been reports of sightings of adults and young after some were released in the wild elsewhere."