Are you allowed to own a pet skunk in the UK?

Evie Batton, senior scientific officer at the RSPCA, said it is not illegal to keep a skunk as a pet in the UK.

“I think that might surprise people,” she added, but said choosing one as a pet was “not something the RSPCA would ever advise”.

“These are wild animals, they’re not domesticated.”

Chris Moiser, director of Tropiquaria, added: “They’re very popular animals. Most of the skunks as pets in the UK came from the fur trade until they became more desirable as pets.”

Moiser said of the skunk rescue: “I drove very carefully with it in the car and everything was fine. Later it sprayed the microchip reader – but fortunately missed our staff.”