Hoboken resident Don Citarella has lived on Monroe Street for nine years, and until recently, he had only minor issues with animals in his backyard. He’s seen the occasional opossum on a tree branch, and one time, a raccoon mistook his fire escape for a new bed. But last month, he got some new guests.
Starting in mid-August of this year, Citarella says, an adult skunk and two smaller skunks began making frequent visits to his yard near the hilly western boundary of Hoboken – causing damage to the area.
“Over the years we’ve had issues with other animals, but this is the first time skunks have moved in,” said Citarella, 37. “We’ve seen them in the neighborhood but they really haven’t stuck around for too long until now.”
Citarella says a shed in an adjacent neighbor’s backyard – which belongs to a church – used to act as a temporary home for the skunks until the homeowner decided to get rid of it earlier this year.
Citarella claims the crepuscular creatures (active during twilight) – who are notorious for emitting a spray to ward off predators – creep into his yard every night after 10 p.m., causing damage to his grass and letting off a foul odor.
Citarella has attempted different strategies to discourage the animals, such as placing rocks against the fence and cutting off their food supply. However, the creatures, which are adept at burrowing for insects, have been difficult to deal with, he says.
“The smell is terrible and frustrating.” – Don Citarella
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Phone calls to the church that owns the neighboring property were not returned by press time.
Caged and confused
The Hoboken resident, along with his brother and neighbor Mike Citarella, 37, reached out to the Hoboken Police Department’s non-emergency line in August to address the issue. He says that a woman from dispatch told him he needed to trap the skunk in order for an animal control officer to be called out.
After obtaining a trap from a neighbor who had previously contacted animal control about stray cats, Citarella managed to trap the adult skunk.
“A man…from animal control then informed [the Hoboken Police] that they refuse to pick-up an animal that they, themselves, did not trap,” said Citarella, who said he was told he needed to communicate with the animal control officer through the police.
Confusing information
When asked last week whether the first dispatcher misinformed the resident, Hoboken police officials said he may have dealt with multiple dispatchers in the communications room, and was given incorrect information.
“It seems it may have been just a case where one [dispatcher] was not fully familiar with the procedure before it was cleared up. In the end the issue was resolved with the help of the officer on scene,” said Sgt. Edgardo Cruz in an email.
The brothers’ one caught skunk was leading to a catch-22. Now, the brothers could be charged with animal cruelty.
The police came and helped release the skunk so that the brothers wouldn’t be sprayed.
City spokesman Juan Melli later confirmed that the State of New Jersey has a policy that only allows “nuisance wildlife” to be trapped by animal control organizations like the Liberty Humane Society in Jersey City.
After the brothers released the skunk, the pesky animals continued to return to the yard.
$96,000 contract in place with LHS
In May 2010, Jersey City-based animal shelter LHS signed a contract to provide animal control and sheltering services for Hoboken for $96,000 a year. The shelter deals with strays and animals up for adoption, and has a contract with Jersey City as well.
Director of Operations for the LHS Kim Saunders said that the contract is still in place with procedures set up to handle situations like Citarella’s.
Saunders said Hoboken residents experiencing a wildlife nuisance are instructed to call the Health Department at 201- 420-2365 during business hours and the police non-emergency line at (201) 420-2100 after hours.
She added that, contrary to popular belief, skunks live all around us and have always co-existed with Hudson County residents.
“They tend to be more afraid of us than we are of them [and] don’t come out during the day” Saunders added.
Citarella agreed that skunks may not present an immediate danger, but because they became such a nuisance, they called LHS. They said they waited three weeks and no one came, despite assurances.
“The last thing I want is for an animal to get hurt and another homeowner to sue us because we allowed them into the yard,” Don said. “I doubt that they’re ravenous or anything, but I do think they can be a danger to kids.”
The website for the National Wildlife Control Operators Association website makes clear that skunk spray causes no real damage to its victims outside of the lingering smell.
The brothers also spoke with Nancy Tarantino, an assistant health officer from the Hoboken Health Department. She paid a visit to them and provided literature informing them that the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife (NJDFW) can relocate the creatures for a fee of up to $150.
The NJDFW categorizes skunks, along with raccoons and foxes, in the “rabies vector species” due to a widespread raccoon rabies strain currently endemic to New Jersey. But they won’t come get them for free.
Case by case basis
The NJDFW states that the relocation of nuisance wildlife must be evaluated on a case by case basis.
“Liberty Humane [has] the last say on whether or not a situation rises to the level of trapping and removal,” said Melli. “If a building owner does not agree with the determination, they always have the option of hiring a licensed pest control operator who can trap and remove wildlife on their private property regardless of the [policy].”
Citarella feels he believes animal control should handle the issue, and he shouldn’t have to pay a fee to have the animals removed.
“They wouldn’t [charge a fee] if the animal caused an imminent threat to people,” he said.
Residents who see an animal that appears to be sick or acting strange should call police right away.
Residents experiencing a wildlife nuisance are instructed to call the Health Department during business hours and the police non-emergency line after hours.