Skunks - Are they next?

[TSKA Rory Matier]

Hi Andy,

Not being funny, but you sort of politically opened yourself up there.

The fact is that as Nerys has pointed out - yes Skunk Descenting was made illegal this year.

The RSPCA have always been against the keeping of non native exotic pets in the UK for some time, whereas before they did not have legislation to back them up with skunks - they now have, And as such it is the right time to look at a potential campaign against those that do keep them.

R

[Andy]

Like nerys pointed out i dont keep them but...since descenting is banned and therefore noone should have skunks with the gland removed after it came into effect wouldn't that sort of put a stop to people buying them already? Or would people still want to keep them if they can spray?

[TSKA Rory Matier]

..........a highly debated question Andy.

And one l assure you has been quarrelled about for many a year.

Do keepers wish to own entire skunks?

Yes.

Do keepers wish to own descented skunks?

Yes.

This is a very political issue now, as is primates, and as is reptiles.


The RSPCA would love to be able to politically prosecute a skunk keeper, as they tried to prosecute a primate keeper last year and failed.

But l do seriously think that as said the time for campaign is now.

R

[Andy]

That well may be i and hope it doesnt happen as i know hannah would be gutted if she lost her skunk! So does the rule on descenting just ban the practice of performing it or the owning of an animal that has had it done? I dont know the ins and outs of descenting but surely its no more invasive than castration etc for dogs?

[shiva&kaa123]

I think it's a similiar argument to venomoids, taking away the defence etc.
Plus I think it's quite an intrusive op.
Ben

[Nerys]

its not that much of an intrusive operation at all actually no..

but then i guess you do not own a skunk either? and have never looked into it being done?

the operation is done at a few weeks old, and take a very short time indeed..

it takes less time than removal of a dogs womb.. and is far less intrusive... it also takes longer to remove an amimals balls.. and yet that is fully acceptable - even on a rat who lives in a maisonette, or a cat who lives indoors in a cage all its life.

in terms of being invasive, de-scenting a skunk does not change the hormone balance in the animals - spaying DOES and so does castration. in fact as i said to the RSPCA Inspector stood cuddling Snuff on my landing.. no offense, but if i removed your nuts and turned you into a eunuch, your personality would change somewhat also!

its nothing like de-fanging a snake no. a skunk cannot kill you with spray! nor does a skunks spray help to digest its food. a venomous snake does NOT use its venom for defense as a primary function, it uses it to kill its dinner. a snake would rather not waste venom attacking something it cannot eat, as the biological debt is too high unless actual death is threatened.

de-scenting a skunk does not, that we know, have ANY effect on a captive skunk. spraying is ONLY used as defense, and as keepers we aim to remove the need for them to defend anyway.

in honesty, the only people i know keeping a scented skunk in the UK, i have just found out, will not publicly admit to doing so

most people do not know enough about the operation, the cause and effect, and so on, to really know where they should stand on this one. or at least, they don't until they have met my skunks!

N

[Andy]

So basically your saying that skunk descenting is harmless. Who were the people campaigning to get it banned then? And who has banned it? Is it a criminal offence for someone to perform it? I am just wondering where the justification comes from other than the RSPCA dont want you to keep them.

[Nerys]

it started when the RVCS declared it an un ethical procedure.. the rcvs were asked by the government to compile a list of animals classed as mutilated species, and skunks were on that list.

no experts were pulled forward to argue this point, and so the legislation went up to the houses of parliement and was passed. somewhere there is a large gap, as the original statement was back in 1997, and the legislation passed this year, 10 years on.

the RCVS used to have links up to the document, but its recently been taken down, why one wonders.. it has meant i am telling you off remembered knowledge and so i may come back and confirm bits as and when i find them.

spaying and castration is seen as acceptable mutilation.. although i am not sure why tbh.. its supposed to be for the good of the species.. so how is it that i know cats castrated to stop them spaying - when they live their entire life indoors in a flat in chelsea?

the person who wrote the recomendation did this as pretty much her last act with the RCVS - where did they next turn up? working at the rspca thats where

justification. good question. WHY is it ok to spay a cat who has no access to the outside world? Why is ok to castrate a rat so he does not make as bad a smell?? why yes to those, and no to an op that takes moments, and causes no side effects or long term effects post op?

if you are coming to essex, come and meet my skunks. come and see how "un-domesticated" they are!!!

N

[Andy]

I can see the justification in speying/castrating dogs as there are thousands and thousands left on the streets every year. I would like to see doctors practicing the same on human sex offenders but thats an entirely different debate!

So the person who wrote this for the RCVS then went to work for the RSPCA? What do they now do at the RSPCA? What other mutilations did they list it would be interesting to know! It seems another case of the government wanting to help but actually going about it the wrong way but you can hardly blame them. They asked the top dog vets in the country and they told them something,which maybe is wrong, so they took it as the truth and banned it.

[TSKA Rory Matier]

It was all part of the Mutilations ban consultations.

I know for a fact that there are keepers on here, that do possess some very sound information on the actual dates and quite probably the missing intrim period.

On my forum of last year [Piedipers Ark] there was very hot debate leading up to the Skunk De-scenting legislation passing, and l also know how passionate skunk keepers are.

Last year l wrote to the RCVS to find out their views on this subject and they were very closed about it, here is their response:

Dear Mr Matier,


Thank you for your email of today’s date.


The Mutilations Report, an annex to the College's Guide to Professional Conduct, states that:

"The discharge of anal sac contents as a result of fear or other stress is normal, and the removal of normally functioning sacs is not an acceptable procedure. Infection or other pathological conditions can result in recurring or chronic discharge or in fistula and sinus formation. Removal in such circumstances is an acceptable therapeutic measure. Anal sacs are sometimes removed from animals such as the skunk and fox in order to make them more acceptable as domestic animals. The Working Party does not accept that this is an ethical procedure and considers that anal sacs should not be removed for other than therapeutic reasons."

The full report is available on the RCVS website here:

RCVS Online / k. Mutilations report


I hope this is of assistance. If you have any further queries, please feel free to contact me.

Now this link is dead, as is the information to it.

Skunks can be spayed and such by vets, but they will not carry out this proceedure unless the skunk is descented, and because that is now illegal this can not be achieved.

The ploy then was to ensure that the keeping of skunks was to cease.

It is a very heated debate even now.

R