Sarah Paese

Although our plan was for Lily to raise her kit, we ended up having to do so… and omg… it has been so incredibly special to raise such a confident little boi.

One of the unique things about raising an ambassador animal is that they NEED to see their keepers as their safe space. They’ll be exploring new areas, experiencing new things, and meeting new people their whole lives. If they ever get nervous, we want them to come to us to “protect” them rather than bolting or hiding. That’s why you’ll see ambassador keepers being so hands-on with their animals. It’s a bond that takes a lot of time and effort that keeps them safe and stress free. 🖤🦨

With that being said, some animals don’t feel security with their keepers through affection like this. Instead just being near you is what’s important to them or maybe their travel carrier is their safe spot to go to. It’s our responsibility to know our animals like the back of our hands, pay constant attention to their body language and react immediately based on those observations to keep building that high level of trust.

Marshmallow is at the age of constant wrestle/play. This is something he would have practiced with his siblings, but since he was a solo kit and an imprint, he wrestles and plays with us instead! This open mouth flop is what we’d see from Lily and her siblings at this age. Marshy the shark 😆

*Skunks are not pets. The point of our ambassador skunks is to educate people on the importance of native wildlife, not harming them but also leaving them wild.*

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