Oakland's offensive odors forcing folks indoors
2:27 p.m. Wednesday, September 17, 2008
The neighborhood is in the 700 block of Northeast Sumner. Neighbors say the stench begins at night and lasts through the morning.
"I always catch it at the end of the car and it goes down this way," says Jennette Flott.
She likes to sit out on her front porch at night, but lately she's had some after hours visitors...skunks. She says the smell is terrible.
Jeannette and her neighbor Pat Roberts say it's the worst it's ever been.
"I've been in this neighborhood for at least 65 years and we have never had it like this," says Jeannete.
Pat Roberts says, "Right now, it's been very stinky. I used to go to bed at night with my window open and the smell is so terrific that I get up and spray bathroom spray in my house 'cause you just can't sleep at night."
Neighbors believe the skunks are coming from the river less than a few blocks away. And they believe they are hiding out underneath people's houses.
"My stepdad lives in the next house and boy, that's where I smelled it so bad this morning," points out Jeannette.
These adults would never approach a skunk, but worry about the neighborhood children, especially those headed to a nearby skate park.
"We have a lot of kids that go down to the Mouse Trap and they are walking at ten or eleven o'clock at night and I mean, we're really concerned about the issue that's going on," Pat says.
The stench is driving neighbors inside at night. Now they limit their porch sitting to during the day. A local biologist says the Oakland neighbors are right about the skunks staying close to the river.
He says the best approach is just to leave them alone. If you try and trap them, then you will only get sprayed. Also, don't leave any type of food in the garbage or in your pet's bowl.
49 Community Report
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