The management of an elementary school in the residential area of Saint-Charles-sur-Richelieu, in the Richelieu Valley, called in our technicians after the discovery of a skunk installed under the access ramp for people with reduced mobility, located at the main entrance of the establishment. The situation presented particular issues related to the safety of children and staff: the ramp was used daily by dozens of students and adults, at fixed times that were very predictable for an animal that could have felt threatened. In Saint-Charles-sur-Richelieu, an agricultural and historic municipality that runs along the river between Saint-Marc and Saint-Denis, inhabited areas near land and wooded areas are frequently crossed by skunks that move up from wooded areas to school and residential areas, especially in the spring.
Assessment of the situation in the school environment
The inspection was carried out outside of school hours to avoid disrupting school activities. The skunk had dug a burrow under the concrete slab of the ramp, taking advantage of a gap between the slab and the underlying gravel fill. An opening of about twenty centimetres at the junction between the slab and the brick wall of the school was the main entrance. Nighttime thermal inspection confirmed the presence of a single adult individual, which simplified the capture strategy. Our exterminator in Saint-Charles-sur-Richelieu also checked the perimeter of the playground, including the wooded areas along the fence that are corridors of passage for wildlife.
The school management immediately put in place a temporary measure by prohibiting access to the ramp for the duration of the intervention, directing students with reduced mobility to an accessible secondary entrance. This rapid collaboration between the school team and our technicians is essential to carry out an effective intervention in a sensitive context.
Non-intrusive capture strategy
The traps were installed at the end of the afternoon, after the end of classes, and removed each morning before the arrival of the students. This daily routine helped maintain a safe environment for children while conducting active supervision. Cage traps fully covered with opaque mesh were used to reduce the visibility of the equipment and minimize the risk of curious children approaching it. All the intervention was coordinated with the school’s concierge to ensure the safety of the site outside of educational supervision hours.
The capture of skunks in a school environment requires this rigor in the organization: the safety of the children takes precedence over any other consideration of efficiency. The skunk was captured on the first night and relocated to the wild, at a safe distance from any inhabited area. Surveillance for two more nights confirmed the absence of any other animals.
Ramp repair and permanent closure
The opening at the base of the ramp was filled with a quick-setting mortar, reinforced with a galvanized steel plate attached to both ends of the wall to prevent future digging. The entire perimeter of the ramp was inspected to identify other potential weak points: two expansion joints with the beginning of cracking were sealed as a preventive measure. A pest prevention plan adapted to the school environment was submitted to the principal, including an annual inspection schedule of the perimeter of the buildings and recommendations for the management of cafeteria and educational garden waste.
Awareness and follow-up with the school community
At the request of the principal, our technicians participated in a short information session with the teaching and service staff to explain the behaviours to adopt in the presence of a skunk: stay calm, never run, move away slowly and report immediately to the management. This awareness helps reduce defensive spray incidents, which almost always occur when an animal feels cornered or surprised. Nova Extermination offers this type of educational support as part of its interventions in collective settings. For other examples of achievements in a similar context, consult our files on an intervention in another public building and on the management of raccoons in schools.