Skunks are small black and white animals. They are not usually aggressive, but when threatened may spray a very unpleasant-smelling substance. Skunks often do a ‘hand stand’ on their front paws with their tail and body in the air before spraying. If you see a skunk in this position, you should retreat quietly and slowly to avoid being sprayed.
In the wild skunks are predators of small mammals like rodents and insects, but they will also eat accessible pet food and garbage, as well as eggs from backyard chicken coops. Removing all food sources will discourage skunks from taking up residence on your property.
Urban and suburban skunks often den under buildings and decks. They can be kept out by making sure crawl space vents are in good repair, closing up other entrances to your crawl space, and using hardware cloth to close areas under decks.
San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District is fully committed to providing accessible facilities, elements and
channels of communication to all members of the public. As part of this commitment, San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District
has a policy of providing an accessible website compatible with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1) and
commercial screen reading software. All features of the website are coded to allow individuals with vision and
other impairments to understand and use the website to the same degree as someone without disabilities. We welcome
feedback and can often resolve issues in a timely manner if they arise.
If you need any special assistance or accommodations:
San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District has designated a compliance officer for website disability-related accommodations.
The compliance officer has received training in website accessibility and updates the site in accordance with those best
practices. Contact our accessibility officer to report an issue.
Compliance Procedures and Reports
In addition to testing with users with a wide range of disabilities and coding our website to WCAG standards,
San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District regularly scans its website to ensure ongoing compliance, and makes timely
changes to any inaccessible changes, if any are found.
Linked Documents and Third Parties
Please note that this site may link out to third-party websites, such as state or federal agencies, that do
not have accessible content. This site may also include documents provided by third parties included in our
agenda packets, for example. While we cannot control the accessibility of content provided by third parties,
we are happy to assist any member of the public with reading and accessing content on our site.
