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ABOVE: A Calgary woman has started a petition to get the skunks out of Taradale. Dallas Flexhaug reports.

CALGARY – A family in Taradale is unhappy with the latest residents to set up camp in their community, saying as far as neighbours go – they stink!

Tiffany Martinson complains there are so many skunks living near her mother’s home that it’s gotten out of control.

“It started out with one, two or three skunks,” she explains. “But now, it’s six to eight skunks that run around here nightly.”

Martinson says she can’t leave her mother’s house without checking to see if any of the pesky prowlers are around.

“If you’re outside, they’ll dart right up to your doorstep and chase you right into your house.” Tweet This

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Martinson even had to give her daughter lessons in how to deal with the odorous annoyances, in case she spots one.

“She knows what they look like, she knows to be very quiet if she sees them and go inside,” says Martinson. “Very rarely do I let her outside by herself, knowing that they run around in the daytime now.”

“We have dogs, and we can’t let them go out in the backyard at night because we’re worried skunks will come and spray them.”

READ MORE: How to remove the smell of skunk from pets

The exasperated mother tried contacting the City of Calgary, but was told it’s up to her to set up traps to catch the black and white mammals. She was also told she would be responsible for paying a fee of $200 per skunk to have them removed.

“With six to eight skunks running around, that gets a little bit expensive,” says Martinson.

Fish and Wildlife also told her she was on her own.

Martinson has created an online petition to encourage the City of Calgary to get more involved with the removal of skunks throughout the city.

“I’ve had comments on the petition already saying that people in Abbeydale, Dover, the foothills… everywhere, have a skunk problem.”

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CLICK HERE to view Tiffany Martinson’s skunk removal petition.