Summerville couple cares for, rehabilitates skunks — among other pets
By Edward Fennell
The Post and Courier
Milton Berry of Summerville feeds his pet skunks Tuesday. Milton and his wife, Landa, shelter 35 skunks.
Video
Skunks
Landa and Milton Berry's 35 skunks live with them in their Summerville home.
EDWARD C. FENNELL/STAFF
Landa shares some love with "Hershey," one of her many pet skunks.
SUMMERVILLE — When offered the chance to make a skunk their pet, many people would wrinkle their nose and say that was crazy.
Not Landa and Milton Berry.
The couple, who occasionally refer to their Logan Drive home as the "Skunksberry Inn," have said "yes" to about 40 different skunks.
The couple has 35 de-scented, spayed or neutered, house-trained skunks, plus two dogs, five cats, four raccoons, four Texas prairie dogs, a cockatiel, seven ferrets, eight ground squirrels and a small fleet of flying squirrels. As trained and licensed wildlife rehabilitators, they have raised beavers and rabbits, too.
At the Berrys' home, you'll see a smiling Pepe Le Pew cartoon image on a board in the front yard, and "I brake for Skunk" and "Get Skunk?" on signs and clothing. There are even little skunks on the couple's pajamas.
"Skunks get a bad rap all the time," Landa said.
Skunks come in all colors, even pure white, and they don't stink if their scent glands are surgically removed. They are very temperamental, and caring for them is expensive and labor-intensive, but they are good snugglers.
Landa described a skunk as "a cross between a puppy, a kitten and a perpetual 2-year-old."
She recalls the moment "seven years ago in June" when she saw her first skunk — a baby at a flea market.
"I have always been an animal lover, but when I saw my first skunk it was so different. It's just a different kind of love," she said while pulling 35 small feeding bowls from the dishwasher.
Landa said that after the tiny skunk crawled up her arm and into her sleeve, she called her husband to ask if she could bring it home. Milton thought she was joking, but when he held the skunk — which the couple named Le Pew — he was smitten.
Soon friends and neighbors were
handing the couple injured and orphaned skunks. The Berrys sought training so they could care for their beloved skunks and met Mary Vice and Dan Copeland, a Summerville couple also licensed by Keepers of the Wild as wildlife rehabilitators. Dan and Mary own 11 pet skunks.
"It just kind of gets you in the heart," Dan said when asked what makes owning skunks a special experience.
A white skunk named Tazim initiated Dan and Mary into their new lives five years ago. "He was our first baby," he said.
The Copelands began researching the proper care and feeding of a skunk, and they launched a Web site (stripedbandits.com) for others who raise skunks and want to share information.
Both couple said that many skunks in captivity are abused or not fed properly. Skunks will eat just about anything, but if not given a proper diet of vegetables, fruits, nuts, some meats, minerals and vitamins, they can become grossly overweight, get sick and die.
The Copelands said forget about vacations if you own skunks, unless you can find someone who will tend to them all day. The Berrys spend about $650 monthly for the skunks' needs, including pure water shipped from the Dakotas.
Most of the time, the Berrys' "herd" has the run of the house, the furniture, the closets, cabinets and even the couple's bed. Some skunks who were mistreated by previous owners are frightened of people or other animals and must be kept apart, Landa said.
Milton said skunks will bite you and not realize they are hurting you. The previous owner of one of the Berrys' skunks punished it with slaps each time it bit children who handled it. Landa said only Milton has been able to calm the traumatized skunk. "Milton has a special touch with the ones that have been abused," Landa said.
To learn more about skunks, see stripedbandits.com, animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/skunk.html and projectwildlife.org/living-skunks.htm.
Reach Edward C. Fennell t 745-5865 or efennell@post andcourier.com.
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Comments
Hey_U_Guys (anonymous) says...
I think that's absolutely disgusting. What the hell does their home smell like?! All of those animals running around, I can only imagine. They're doing a nice thing by rehabing these animals, but you've got to have some boundaries.
April 7, 2008 at 10:22 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
CarolinaWren (anonymous) says...
It is really wonderful that there are people who love and do care for God's creatures. You are blessed. Thank you.
April 7, 2008 at 10:37 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
RTC (anonymous) says...
I have to admire people that will give so much of their time to helping defenseless animals.
I have to wonder though why they do not have separate facilities for housing these critters.
There is no way that they don't have an odor problem, not to mention trouble with fleas and "accidents" on the floor.
I dearly love animals, but this is a little too much for me.
April 7, 2008 at 10:59 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Henry_Horres_Jr (anonymous) says...
"Skunks require a 'different kind of love'."
Not sure if it was intended to be, but this is one of the funniest headlines I have seen in a long time. Of course the same could be said about alligators, rattlesnakes, and great white sharks.
Not sure that PETA would go along with that "surgical removal" of the scent glands, though. Depriving a skunk of its ability to stink the place up is a little like preventing chickens from basking in the sunshine.
These people's hearts are obviously in the right place, and I hope someday they start their own "company" called Skunk Helpers. They could make themselves administrators at a handsome salary, and maybe include porcupines at some point.
Porcupines do indeed require a different kind of love.
It's called careful.
April 7, 2008 at 11:20 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
charlestonweasel (anonymous) says...
I would like to say "thank you" for the comments given although some seem judgemental. We take great pride in the cleanliness of our home and it takes lots of hard work and a love for what we do. Skunks have less of an odor to them than even a dog or a cat after being descented. Eighteen litter boxes are cleaned twice daily and yes, they are used with precision. Many assume too that ferrets stink but we've found that this is not the case if fed properly and proper upkeep is given.
We are asked why we have so many skunks in our care. Our hearts have gone out to those with special needs. They are not a pet that I would recommend to someone expecting to give the same attention as that of a common household pet such as a dog or a cat. Many required medical attention, some were terrible biters, and others were seeking care as a final result before losing their lives. All of these are unreleasable with nowhere else to turn.
There are many of us is the Lowcountry who vollunteer our time and love to animals in need and yes, even those from the wild. We assist with "Keeper of the Wild". The rehabilitation center is in St. George. We each do our parts in capacities that we can handle.
In visiting our home you might find a baby beaver in the kitchen sink or baby opossums being fed with a special tube after momma was hit by a car on our roadways. You might have to be patient in our conversation while little striped bandits are learning how to suck from a baby bottle.
There's a joy in what we do and I don't expect all people to understand it. Many fear what they don't understand,,,and yes, even a few who have given comments to the article in today's paper.
Unkie Milt
April 7, 2008 at 3:48 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ThePhink (anonymous) says...
One story on skunks I found interesting. Two stories in month come on.
Wait I forgot, too many tourist in town this week. Ever notice how all the stories about our rapes, robberies and murders disappear from the newsless courier the days surrounding the bridge run, Azalea Fest?
We wouldn't want people to know the truth about our "nice" little city would we?
April 7, 2008 at 4:37 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
swhfd28 (anonymous) says...
I think its awsome that they are able to take care of the skunks and other animals. Some people just dont understand why others take the time to care for the animals.
April 7, 2008 at 4:43 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lexylady (anonymous) says...
Apparently it is what these folks are meant to do, and I admire them for it. If we all took care of our creatures, Great and Small, it would be a wonderful thing..It takes special people to do this, and I know that some day they will get their just rewards for the kindness in their hearts.
April 7, 2008 at 7:13 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
auger (anonymous) says...
No good deed goes unpunished. You will likely get a visit from code enforcement soon.
April 8, 2008 at 11:02 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jenni765uk (anonymous) says...
I just want to say, that thanks to these. for all their good work. They inspired me to do similar work with skunks on a smaller scale. Smaller only because there is not the large number of skunks needing help in England (yet). It amazes me how many people think that it will be so good to get an exotic animal as a pet and do not do the research first. Hence the number of skunks these folks have chosen to help. I agree skunks win your heart, you take one, how do you turn the next one away when it needs help so much? If you have the love in your heart, the time, the money and the knowledge, then God bless you for doing this.
Smell? Every creature has their own smell, even us
April 10, 2008 at 4:18 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
aattura (anonymous) says...
THANK YOU for caring so much about these lil "(non)stinkers!"
For the neophytes out there -- Descented Skunks DO NOT smell!!!
I live in VA so I do not own a skunk (it's Illegal in VA) -- but I am lucky to have some friends who DO live in Skunks-Legal states, and I have had the pleasure of interacting with my friends' pet skunkies -- they are absolutely special, different and memorable pets! I love the way they waddle and play, and the way they are so unique, independant and their special skunkie-personalities!
The Native Americans kept skunks as pets long before the settlers came to the US -- however, the settlers themselves also had skunks as pets -- so this is nothing new.
Thank you, Landa and Milton, for your love of, and care for these skunks!!!
March 27, 2009 at 12:43 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ThePhink (anonymous) says...
Why was this brought back up?
This article stinks!!! It smells to high heaven!!!
March 27, 2009 at 1:17 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SCHoser (anonymous) says...
Move along then phink-no one is forcing anything on you! Good intentions folks! Sounds like a tough and demanding way to spend a day. I have to confess I was thinking the same thing as a few others about odor with that many critters, but then again-its not my house, nor is it my business! Keep up the good work.
March 27, 2009 at 1:36 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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