Heaven Scent

My wife Sharie, and I are wildlife photographers. We live on a quiet acreage in Saskatchewan, Canada. In late fall of 2015, a striped skunk prepared her winter den under our garden shed. Skunks view crawl spaces as prime real estate. She's been a quiet, friendly neighbor. Her name is Lily. Lily's size and demeanor suggested that she would have been at least two years old when we met. Soon Rose, an older and much larger female arrived. She and Lily greeted one another with enthusiasm and affection. Over time, we yielded to the unequivocal evidence that Rose is Lily's mother. Over the years, Sharie and I have not been threatened by any members of our family of striped skunks. Soon three generations of females shared the cozy winter den. We developed methods of photographing every aspect of their lives. Because skunks are primarily nocturnal we depended on cameras utilizing invisible infrared flash. We believe there's no excuse for causing wildlife any stress while obtaining images. Striped skunks are a significant reservoir for rabies in North America. It's our hope that oral vaccines will be effective in populations of wild skunks and other vulnerable wildlife. Common sense dictates that children should not be allowed to interact with any wild animals.Sharie and I sincerely hope you will enjoy "Heaven Scent". For us, it will always be a love story.