By Rory Hale – REALTOR®, Rural Properties & Acreages in the foothills of Alberta

The Skunk: Alberta Foothills’ Striped Survivalist

So you're walking through the forest near your favourite pond, enjoying the crisp evening air, when suddenly you spot it — a flash of black and white weaving through the tall grass. You freeze, heart pounding, where is your dog? You quickly grab his collar as a skunk wanders up the hill beside you, blissfully unaware of the minor heart attack it just caused. You hold...

I want to start this post with my perspective and experience living with predators in the Alberta foothills. Every year we have been here, we have seen the big three: grizzlies, cougars, and wolves. It can be amazing, scary, and eye-opening to realize how much wildlife there is in Alberta.

We have been very aware of wildlife and ensuring we are not doing things to encourage interaction and draw any wildlife near our home. We know people have had issues; we are happy that we have not.

An essential part...