News from all over - Toronto
A Californian skunk that hitched a ride aboard a commercial truck to Canada this month is unable to find safe passage back home. The 1.8-kilogram female travelled nearly 5,000 kilometres in five days without food or water in a sealed container, arriving slightly dehydrated but otherwise unharmed.
Canadian wildlife authorities believe it fell asleep in a large rubber pipe that was loaded onto the big rig in Torrance, California, in late December. But they have been unable to arrange a return trip for the critter because airlines and trucking firms are concerned it may get spooked on the way and release a torrent of stench.
Nathalie Karvonen of the Toronto Wildlife Centre says it would probably die in a fight with its bigger Canadian cousins if released in Canada anyway, because skunks are very territorial. Ms Karvonen says euthanasing a healthy animal is not an option.
Canadian wildlife authorities believe it fell asleep in a large rubber pipe that was loaded onto the big rig in Torrance, California, in late December. But they have been unable to arrange a return trip for the critter because airlines and trucking firms are concerned it may get spooked on the way and release a torrent of stench.
Nathalie Karvonen of the Toronto Wildlife Centre says it would probably die in a fight with its bigger Canadian cousins if released in Canada anyway, because skunks are very territorial. Ms Karvonen says euthanasing a healthy animal is not an option.
