In Oregon, woman tracks a foul smell beneath her house, finds skunk 'blasting every ounce of stank'

In Lakeview, Oregon, a foul odor sent a homeowner looking under her home, where she found an unexpected critter.

Here's what to know

After nearly an hour of dealing with a foul odor that only got worse, Risa Anderson Bates put on a mask and entered the cramped space beneath the house, only to find a skunk. She said the animal was "blasting every ounce of stank and hate for mankind" toward her bedroom. The rescue was captured on video and, as Yahoo reported, she pulled it out from under the home and released it. 

She said the stench was strong enough to make her eyes and nose burn. In a post about the incident, Bates wrote, "Ever have a skunk dying under your house and releasing all his gases for almost an hour? No? Well it's worst thing ever."

Online viewers largely responded with humor. One person wrote, "Some heroes don't wear capes," and another said they had watched the clip "wayyyyy too many times."

What can be done?

Although some viewers questioned how Bates handled it, they didn't kill the skunk.

When a powerful smell seems to fill a house, the source may not actually be inside. Accessible areas beneath homes can hide animals, especially when those spaces offer darkness and cover.

Bates' husband also contributed a well-timed text after the skunk was back outside alive: "You manifested abundance. You should have been more specific lol."

Where can I learn more?

Animal run-ins and mystery smells can quickly become household headaches. These stories cover coyotes and boars in neighborhoods, aggressive crows, a baffling outdoor stench, and a hidden indoor gas leak.

• In Chicago, residents reported an unexpected coyote sighting in a residential neighborhood.

• In the San Francisco Bay Area, officials warned wild boars were wreaking havoc in neighborhoods.

• Residents described troubling encounters with crows after the birds began acting aggressively.

• A forager traced the source of a foul odor to a bizarre organism outdoors.

• One family learned a hidden gas leak was filling the house after their cat reacted.

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