Calgary police officers encounter all kinds of stinkers in their line of work, but perhaps never any quite like this.
A homeowner in northeast Calgary spotted a skunk in what police called a “jarring situation” early one morning last week.
“It was wandering around their backyard with what appeared to be a glass container stuck on its head!” police explained on social media.
When the Taradale resident called pest control companies and others with no luck, the homeowner turned to the Calgary Police Service to get the job done.
Constables Smith and Parkinson arrived at the home early Wednesday morning and took a few minutes to hatch a way to save the skunk without hurting it or them getting sprayed.
By this point, the skunk was so lost and confused it was stuck on the homeowner’s back deck, unable to get down the steps.
“Eventually the skunk was so exhausted, it just stayed in place as the officers approached,” police said.
While a terrible ordeal for the skunk, police couldn’t help but see some humour in the situation.
“Guided by their in-stinks, Cst. Parkinson held up a large blanket as Cst. Smith pulled the jar off the skunk’s head,” police added. “Luckily it didn’t spray after the jar came off. Instead, the skunk looked at its rescuers without a whiff of concern and wandered off the deck and back into the alley.”
A happy ending for what could have been a rotten situation.
“The Constables and skunk all certainly earned their stripes that night!” police said.
And it also serves a reminder to make sure garbage ends up where it should be — in the trash.
