Buffalo Has Massive Skunk Problem — But Is Slaughtering Them The Answer?

Of all problems to have -- this is a doozie.

Buffalo has a skunk problem -- who would have thought?

If skunks didn't smell, you'd almost WANT one. Skunks eat mice, rats and the grubs and insects that ruin lawns.They don't bother you, and they only come out at night.

But, they do smell. So that's like saying sharks would be so cute to swim with if they had no teeth.

Especially in South Buffalo and South Ward, the animals have become an issue -- you can smell them all the time. They're everywhere, and this summer, a closed South Buffalo police station was used as a skunk slaughterhouse. Skunks were caught using traps and dropped off.

Like Donn Esmonde of the Buffalo News said:

The Shoot-’em Solution, although DEC-approved, seems barbaric (although not as bad as Amherst’s beaver trap-and-drown, a practice that – due to public outcry – mercifully ended last year). Although supposedly humane, a gunshot seems cruel and messy. The odor befouls nearby streets. And the Skunk Kill just doesn’t work.

South Buffalo is sick of being the Skunk Hotel, but what do you think? Cruel? Needs to be done?