PETA Takes Issue With Caller Wanting to Deter Skunk with Paintball Gun

PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals took issue with a caller on WIBX's Keeler Show this week when he said he wanted to kill a skunk in his backyard.

John called in after a listener said he was giving away his paintball gun. He said he had a skunk in his back yard that he wanted to "take care of" and deter it from coming on his property. After the caller learned what John wanted to do with the paintball gun, he retracted his offer. That's when PETA was called by a listener and responded to the Keeler Show.

"Our ears were burning during yesterday’s chat with John, the caller with the skunk in his yard, so we couldn’t resist dropping you a line to say how delighted we were to hear you and Paul, the caller with the paintball gun, steer him away from shooting the skunk. We’re glad that cooler heads (and kinder hearts) prevailed!"

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PETA offered advice on how to handle a skunk situation going forward.

"In case you hear from John again—and to help with any groundhogs or other unwanted visitors who are popping up in your own yards—you’re welcome to check out PETA’s tips on living in harmony with wildlife. Removing animals via violence never works, because others will just come along to take their place if the yard appeals to them—for example, if food is still available, whether in trash cans, dog dishes, or bird feeders. After all, a skunk doesn’t know that the food isn’t for him! So the first step is to remove food sources. Just taking bird feeders in at night could encourage John’s striped neighbor to look somewhere else for his midnight snacks.

"Another way to deter small animals (such as groundhogs) from making themselves at home is to set up effigies of predators, electronic sound repellents like the Yard Gard, or motion-activated sprinklers. If the yard isn’t appealing, they’ll move along—and that’s the key."

PETA has issued a spokesperson to join the Keeler Show at 7AM on Wednesday morning.