I wrote about some of this on The Marked Tree just recently and as I was doing that I realized how unnecessarily negative my attitude towards skunks was. I felt bad, because I like skunks. It's not right that most of what I have to say is about how bad they smell and how many problems they cause.

So as an addendum to my article about how the only really troublesome skunks are dead skunks and rabid skunks, let me add this: in all my dealings with skunks, these little animals have been fair and tolerant. Skunks live with us, so nicely that we hardly ever see them. OK, maybe we smell them once in a while, but that's not so bad. In fact, skunk scent even finds its way into expensive perfumes, as a good thing, an olfactory note that draws your immediate attention without being repulsive, so long as it's subtle.

Considering how much I respect this little animal, which could have sprayed me with vile venom at least half a dozen times in my life and every time chose not to do that, I thought the least I could do is write a hub about how to solve the problem of the skunk in the can.

Skunks, like raccoons, are opportunistic little critters. They will always check out the garbage for treats, and if you leave your garbage uncovered and available they'll sort it out for you. Anything useful will be theirs, and we leave a lot of useful stuff in the trash. The most common problem we cause these little critters is to leave an opened can lying about. People commonly fold the cut can lid inward so nobody in the house will cut their fingers on it. That transforms the can into a trap. A skunk's head isn't very big, and it fits into an empty can of tomato sauce just far enough to snag the lid on the way out. Lid drops down on the back of the skunk's head, and the skunk has a permanent hat. If it could get some leverage on that can it could probably get out by itself, but a skunk has short little arms and can't grip the can with its claws. It's stuck there until it dies of thirst, unless some brave human comes along to help it.

Most of us don't, because we're scared of being sprayed and we're scared of being bit. That's often an overwhelming fear which gets in the way of puzzle solving thought. There seems to us to be no solution to this problem. That's wrong, though. People rescue skunks all the time without getting either bitten or sprayed. You can do it, too.

The first thing to know is that skunks own this planet. They aren't belligerent about that but they expect the rest of the animals in the world, like us, to know this and act respectfully. If we don't they will teach us why it's true, through a ritual series of traditional dances and postures. If we don't pay attention, then they'll spray us in the face. But, if you don't bite the skunk in the hinder or grab it with your bare hands or paws, it won't immediately do that. Skunks want to teach us respect, through dancing. This takes some time, and usually gives people like me time to just leave, because we've already had the lesson.

Skunks are not trigger happy. They are pretty much fearless animals, and with their heads stuck in a can or a jar they are concerned with that immediate problem and not with punishing the world around them. If a skunk can't see you, it won't spray you. That's something pest removal experts use every day when working with skunks, and I know it's true. If you approach with a sheet stretched out in front of you, for example, the skunk won't see you coming. It doesn't interpret the sheet as a problem.

A skunk in a can, or with its head stuck in a greasy peanut butter jar, sees even less. You won't get sprayed for just hanging around or trying to help. Skunks aren't built that way.

Though some people use mechanical grabbers to do this, it can be done with the bare hands as well. Usually just holding the can or jar still gives the skunk enough leverage to get out of it. If that doesn't work, it might be necessary to cut the can with metal snips, being careful not to catch the skunk in the cutting jaws. Needle nose pliers could also work, if you locate the lid and press the lid against the side of the can. Then the skunk can back out.

Release happens quickly. What's required next is quick movement away from the area, which is pretty instinctive on the part of humans. Get twenty or fifty away and you're good. The skunk will go somewhere else.

People who don't have the quickness to retreat should probably explain the procedure to somebody else and let them do it. Although I like skunks and do expect that they would just go away after release, I wouldn't want to test the pact by handing around too long.

The real concern people should have about skunks is whether the animals are rabid. Rabid skunks usually do not have their heads stuck in cans. Rabies causes madness and afflicted animals stop eating and drinking. Skunks wandering around in the daytime without cans on their heads are probably rabid. The disease is common enough in the skunk population that this sort of behaviour indicates a real problem.

But, a skunk with a can on its head got that way because it was hungry, not because it was insane. Now, it's just stuck. If you release it, it'll be too surprised to move for a few seconds, and by then you'll be gone.

The last thing you want to do when releasing a skunk is to be in its way. A skunk will want to go home, and your job is to let it go home. The best thing you can do is to get out of the area and let the skunk resolve this issue, once the can isn't a part of the problem any more. So before you do the release, look around you and decide where you will be afterward. Don't do this in a blind alleyway and get trapped there. Don't block the only exit -- the skunk will need that. Don't trip over garbage and fall down. Make sure you can get clear.