Incidental Captures of Plains Spotted Skunks (Spilogale putorius interrupta) By Arkansas Trappers, 2012-2017

Arkansas trappers were surveyed following the 2012 and four subsequent trapping seasons regarding accidental captures of spotted skunks while attempting to trap other species. A total of 132 trappers reported capturing spotted skunks although further investigation confirmed the validity of only 42 reports from trappers that caught a total of 60 spotted skunks. Incidental captures were rare; only 0.35-1.29% of trappers each year caught spotted skunks and came primarily from the Ozark and Ouachita regions of the state

Primeness in Early Season Arkansas Raccoon Pelts

Trapping seasons in the United States are generally set around the time of the year when pelts are in “prime” condition and are in their most valuable state. In order to assess whether the start of the Arkansas trapping season is at an appropriate date 122 raccoons were captured during the month of November in 2014 and 2015. Based on the evaluation of experienced fur dealers, the percentage of pelts in prime condition was then assessed on weekly and half-monthly basis. This study indicates that starting the trapping season in the last half of the month may maximize the percentage of pelts that are in prime condition early in the season, especially in the southern region of the state

Human Rabies Post-Exposure Treatment in Arkansas, 1994-2000

The Arkansas Department of Health recorded 118 incidents where humans in Arkansas were treated following exposure to confirmed rabid animals from 1994-2000. Domestic species accounted for 64% of incidents and 76% of total human exposures with the ratio of human exposures per rabid animal 17 times higher for domestic animals than wild animals. Records of 218 cases of human exposure to potentially rabid wild animals during this period were also examined to determine method of contact. While 72% of cases involving raccoons (Procyon lotor), skunks (Mephitis mephitis and Spilogale putorius), and foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus and Vulpes vulpes) were initiated by humans, bats initiated 64% of contacts in which post-exposure treatments were given. However, 75% of contacts with rabid bats in which the instigator is known were provoked by the human. Though recent rabies-related human deaths in the United States have resulted from apparent exposures torabid wild animals, the higher rate of human exposure to rabid domestic animals indicates that continuing efforts to prevent the spread of this disease in pet populations are necessary

Plains Spotted Skunk Pelt Purchase Trends in the Ozarks and Ouachitas, 1943-1990

The Plains spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius interrupta) is a small carnivore that has experienced population declines across much of its range and is currently being considered for listing as an endangered species. I utilized harvest data on pelts from the Ozarks of Missouri and Arkansas and the Ouachita mountains in Arkansas that were purchased by fur dealers from 1943-1990 to examine trends in harvest levels over time. Purchases in all three regions declined in the late 1940s and early 1950s, but purchases in the Arkansas returned to near or at historic levels in the early 1960s and the late 1970s. Lacking any other data upon which to assess spotted skunk population trends, this suggests that populations in the Ozark and Ouachita mountains did not decline from the 1940s through the 1970s as they did elsewhere and that this species may have always been rare in the region

Geographic Distribution and Harvest Dynamics of the Eastern Spotted Skunk in Arkansas

The eastern spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius) is a small carnivore found across much of the central and southeastern United States, and while once common, this species has become rare in most obits range. We used harvest records collected by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission from 1941-2004 to examine historic and current distribution and long-term harvest dynamics of this species in Arkansas. Eastern spotted skunks have historically been most common in the Ozarks and the Ouachitas though the species appears to have been present, but uncommon, in the Gulf Coastal Plain and in some counties in southeastern Arkansas near the Mississippi River. Annual harvests declined precipitously during the 1940s and 1950s, from \u3e1,800 animals in 1942 t