Many people don’t know that skunks are actually acrobats. Handstands are their forte. With tails fluffed and pointed straight up in the air, they perform this stunt when they sense an unwelcome audience has come on the scene.
“The skunk’s not trying to amuse or entertain you. He’s trying to get you to leave,” said Seth Salmans, Johnson County Parks & Rec police officer. “If you don’t leave, his next step will be to spray you.”
The truth about skunks was just one part Salman’s educational program, “The Good, The Bad, and The Smelly,” held on a recent evening at the Ernie Miller Park and Nature Center. During this entertaining and educational event, Salmans also shared information and facts about the evening’s other headliners, which included bull snakes, rose hair tarantulas and American toads. More than 100 children and adults attended the event, held at the center’s amphitheater. It was part of an annual summer series launched more than 30 years ago. For the past five, Salmans has been teaching several of the center’s programs.
This animal-loving officer understands that, for many people, fear is connected to the species he displayed and discussed.
(Read more: Joco 913 News)