Crime & Safety

Swimming Skunk Stuck in Pool for Hours, Lives to Spray About it

A skunk takes a late-night marathon swim session, horses run wild on Old Long Ridge Road, and two Golden Retrievers get a lesson in playing opossum.

Officer Tilford Cobb of the pulled a skunk out of a swimming pool midweek, Director Laurie Hollywood said during the weekly animal reports roundup.

Cobb said the skunk had been swimming around in the pool since approximately 3 a.m. the night prior at a house on Westhill Road. 

"That poor guy had been swimming for hours," Cobb said. "He was just starting to sink as I got there, but I was able to pull him out. He was tired but he was alive. He sprayed, though."

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The family apparently reported the animal being stuck in the pool but was worried about trying to pull it out themselves. Hollywood stressed there are 24-hour wildlife removal companies that will respond in the middle of the night to save the animal.

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Two golden retrievers were found to be in the company of a sick opossum on Ocean Dr. on Thursday. 

When animal control officers responded to the call after the homeowner found the animal, the homeowner was reportedly upset because she didn't want the opossum to be put down.

Hollywood said the only way to test for rabies involves putting the animal down and stressed the importance of always being outside with your pet so owners can answer for certain if a pet ever comes into contact with an unfamiliar animal.

The opossum was alive but playing dead when animal control officers found it.

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A stable full of four miniature horses was intentionally vandalized on Old Long Ridge Road early in the week, reported.

The hinges appeared to be broken apart on a stable at Rock Spring Farm, but the farm owner said it would've been impossible for the four mini-horses to do that kind of damage to the gate themselves.

The fire department responded to assist the farmer and called in for backup from the police as the chased the horse down. Firefighters were able to round up the animals before the arrival of police, authorities said.

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Extra Notes

Hollywood advised residents in Stamford they will probably begin to see increased activity from wildlife in the coming weeks as summer turns to fall and animals start to stock up and fatten themselves.

Extra activity includes deer and coyotes in particular. Stamford residents with lawns and gardens might see more deer eating their plants and more visible roaming coyote activity.

Animals will often appear more mangy as they shed out their summer coats and grow in their winter coats.

"They aren't going to look pretty," Hollywood said.


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