![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Kat-Wysocki-skunk-rescue-225x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\nKay Wysocki is, in the nicest sense of the phrase, a skunk person.<\/p>\n
She is the founder and director of Pet Skunk Advocates & Rescue, a Pinellas County nonprofit dedicated to the welfare of the striped skunk, which lives throughout the state of Florida.<\/p>\n
Operating under a Class III Wildlife License from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the group also takes on other domesticated or non-releasable wild creatures, including opossums and raccoons.<\/p>\n
Wysocki and several of her furry friends will be on hand at the James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art\u2019s fourth annual Menagerie at the Museum event Saturday. It\u2019s a family thing, in which nearly a dozen bay area rescue, rehab and conservation groups set up shop in the spacious Mesa Room.<\/p>\n
There, children can meet birds, reptiles and mammals of all shapes and sizes, in person, as knowledgeable, friendly and infinitely patient handlers talk about the animals, their needs in the wild and in captivity, and the importance of conservation.<\/p>\n
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Kat Wysocki is the founder of Pet Skunk Advocates & Rescue.<\/p>\n
None of Wysocki\u2019s skunks have ever lived outdoors, by their own wits.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are skunks that are sold in pet stores, from breeders,\u201d she explains. \u201cAnd like any exotic animal, wherever you have a breeder, you have to have a rescue (organization). It\u2019s unfortunate, but we go hand in hand.\u201d<\/p>\n
Legally, a skunk sold as a pet must first have its scent glands removed.<\/p>\n
\u201cBottom line is, it\u2019s just like declawing a cat,\u201d Wysocki says. \u201cThese animals have been domesticated for well over 200 years, and it\u2019s not just a matter of releasing them. Without scent glands, they have zero defenses.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wild animals simply do not make good pets. Little reptiles grow into large reptiles. Cute baby squirrels and raccoons become less cuddly and more dangerous as they grow, and their genetic instincts for survival kick in.<\/p>\n
The striped skunk, considered a Species of Greatest Conservation Need in Florida (populations are at risk, or declining), has specific dietary and socialization requirements.<\/p>\n
Still according to Wysocki, \u201cYou love them differently from any other animal. They are almost childlike in the way that they love you back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her organization sponsors a program in schools, libraries and camps, called (again, with apologies to the noble skunk) \u201cReading Doesn\u2019t Stink,\u201d in which the staff educate children about common yard animals.<\/p>\n
For example. \u201cPeople have such a bad opinion of opossums,\u201d says Wysocki. \u201cThey only live three to four years in the wild, if they\u2019re lucky. They don\u2019t carry diseases. They eat all the icky bugs. And people are so mean to them! And there\u2019s no reason to be. They are one of the most beneficial animals that we have in our yards.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pet Skunk Advocates & Rescue doesn\u2019t have a brick-and-mortar place to visit \u2013 the 2024 hurricanes took care of her last animal domicile, Wysocki explains\u00a0 \u2013 but donations are always welcome\u00a0at the website<\/a>, where much more information is available.<\/p>\n \u201cWe also adopt them out,\u201d says Wysocki. \u201cObviously, I can\u2019t keep every skunk that\u2019s surrendered to us.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t get a ton in each year, but it\u2019s pretty tough to adopt from me. Because I feel like people have already failed these guys in one way or another \u2013 and I\u2019m not going to be the next one.\u201d<\/p>\n Menagerie at the Museum<\/p>\n Since the James Museum introduced Menagerie at the Museum in 2023, it has grown into one of its best-attended single-day events. Admission is by timed entry (every 30 minutes), so the room isn\u2019t jammed with people \u2013 and animals \u2013 all at once.<\/p>\n Activities for children include artmaking in museum classrooms, animal-inspired\u00a0face-painting by Glitter & Giggles, puppy and pet caricatures from\u00a0Tampa Caricatures, a wildlife-themed scavenger hunt in the galleries and more.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Menagerie-James-Museum-1024x683.jpg\")
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Alongside Pet Skunk Advocates and Rescue, visiting groups include Boyd Hill Nature Preserve, Friends of Strays, Honey\u2019s Mini Therapy Adventures, Pet Pal Animal Shelter, Satchel\u2019s Last Resort, Seaside Seabird Sanctuary and the Tampa Bay Watch Discovery Center.<\/p>\n