Officials: Skunk population is surging in Illinois
We have seen an increase in the population index of skunks in the last eight out of 10 years,” Bluett said. “Forty-six percent is a big jump. The main concern is more in terms of being aware that with the higher skunk population, the risk of rabies is higher.”
The increase comes after a decline in the state’s skunk population in the 1980s during a rabies outbreak, Bluett said. Now, with skunk spike, he urges pet owners to vaccinate their animals against rabies.
Many of the skunks removed in northeastern Illinois during 2010 were living under, around or near people’s homes, he said.