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Tennessee Senators Say Idea Of Skunks As Pets Is No Stinker

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Lawmakers claim pet skunks can sell for as much as $1
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It could soon be legal to own a skunk as a pet in Tennessee.

The state Senate voted 27-3 Wednesday morning to allow the possession of a domesticated skunk. The state House of Representatives has not yet weighed in, though the idea has been endorsed .

Supporters of the idea say skunks make loveable pets.
Though one lawmaker, Republican Sen. Frank Niceley of Strawberry Plains, begged to differ.

“I’m probably the only senator up here that actually had a pet skunk when I was a child,” he said. “I really don’t recommend them.”

The skunks must have their scent glands removed. They also should be spayed or neutured.

Supporters say making skunks legal in Tennessee could spur a market. They claim domesticated skunks
sell for as much as $1,000 in the 17 states where they are already legal.

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Chas Sisk, Senior Editor

Chas joined WPLN in 2015 and became an editor in 2018. Previously, he covered state politics for Nashville Public Radio and The Tennessean, and he’s also reported on communities, politics and business for a variety of publications in Massachusetts, New York and Washington, D.C. Chas grew up in South Carolina and attended Columbia University, where he studied economics and journalism.

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