Animal rescue centre staff have taken in a pair of cute little stinkers, after a breeder was unable to care for the baby SKUNKS.
Volunteer staff are working throughout the night to rear the two baby skunks, known as kits, by hand-feeding them every two hours.
Megan Taylor, who volunteers for Amate Animalia, an animal rescue charity in the Cotswolds, was stunned when they were asked to take in the little critters after they were rejected by their parents.
She said: “The mother rejected a litter and the breeder was trying to hand-rear them, but it’s so difficult.
“If the mother rejects babies it might be for a reason, but then she won’t invest time, energy and milk in babies that won’t live.
“But what we think is the skunk enclosure was not adequate, it wasn’t the right set-up.”
The pups, one girl and one boy, are less than two weeks old and will be cared for by Amate Animalia, in Oxfordshire, until they are healthy enough to find a permanent home.
Megan said: “We want them to go to zoological gardens but its impossible because they’re not endangered.
“They can’t be released back into the wild as their mums and grandmothers would have all been born in the UK, so they wouldn’t be allowed to go back to Canada.
“Even breeders that know lots about skunks need a helping hand – this shows they are best left in the wild.
“Some of these people charge £350 to £400 for a skunk, but then they get funny when we ask for a donation.
“We spend £600-800 per skunk, why can’t we have a donation fee of £400?”
