It Smells Like a Flower in a Brand New Crib!

One of the most memorable clips from the movie Bambi includes one of the cutest skunks you have ever seen. During this clip, the two meet for the very first time, and with her big eyelashes and sweet voice, the skunk allows Bambi to call her Flower.

We have a “Flower” here at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo as well, but her name is Tiger Lily. Some of you may have seen Lily up in the Loft where she has been living for the past couple of years. But, as our Loft animal collection grew, staff saw an opportunity to move Lily to a different enclosure at the zoo. This enclosure is located on the southeast side of the old Bird and Reptile House. It is an outdoor enclosure with dirt, logs, and plenty of space for Lily to exercise and dig. We hope this will provide her with more space to be a 'skunk', and continue to increase her physical fitness when she's not out being her cute little self and connecting with guests.

 Tiger Lily came to us in early 2008. She was two years old and had been a pet. When the owners moved to Colorado, they learned skunks are illegal to have as pets. In conjunction with the Division of Wildlife, they decided to place her here as a member of our Animal Ambassador program.

Over the last year, Lily has overcome some mobility challenges. Because of the diet she received early in life, her bones were quite deficient of calcium. In addition, she was overweight. As a result, her back legs suffered some stress fractures. The zoo's animal care and veterinary staff were very proactive with her treatments and did the best to ensure Lily would heal fully, lose weight, and someday walk normally again. Her daily diet is now complete with dog kibble, rodent chow, and yams. Crunchy crickets are Tiger Lily's favorite treats! With this new diet and physical therapy, we're pleased to say we have been successful with Lily. She continues to amaze her keepers with her sleeping habits. She snoozes while hanging from her log or with all four feet straight up in the air!

Stop by and see her the next time you're at the zoo!

Skunk Facts

- Skunks are primarily nocturnal and usually solitary, except when mothers are raising their babies.

- Skunks eat mostly insects, many of which are pests to humans.

- Skunk litters range from three to as many as 10 young.

- All skunks seem able to dig their own burrows, but will also use abandoned dens of other animals, hollow logs, wood, or rock piles. You may even find them living under buildings, stone walls and in hay or brush piles.

- The skunk’s main defense is a complex chemical substance, including sulfuric acid that can be fired from either one of two independently targetable anal glands.

- There are four different kinds of skunks found in the United States: spotted skunks, striped skunks, hooded skunks and hog-nosed skunks.

- Young skunks are referred to as kittens.

- Skunks have long claws, which are excellent for digging. However, these long claws are not useful in climbing and their short legs do not enable a skunk to run very fast.