Little Stinkers: The Aviary Welcomes Baby Skunks, and You Can Help Name Them

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL AVIARY

Even if officials at the Pittsburgh Zoo didn’t pick the name you suggested for its new lion cub, Pittsburghers have another chance to leave their mark on the city’s animal kingdom. 

The National Aviary on the North Side has welcomed a pair of new Animal Ambassadors: two striped skunk sisters. Born at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden this past spring — April 20, to be exact — these ‘kits’ enjoyed spending the first few months with their siblings and learning how to engage with trainers and guests alike, officials say. Earlier this summer, one of the National Aviary senior education trainers drove to pick them up, “rolling out the red carpet” in their honor.

Now, aviary officials are enlisting the public to help name them through a two-round naming process. Here’s how the process works:

Round One: Submit names, for free, on the Aviary’s website. All round one name suggestions must be submitted by 12 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 14.

Round Two: After name suggestions are reviewed by the aviary’s Animal Care Team during round one, six names — three sets of two — will be selected. The National Aviary will then host a paid voting period to determine the official monikers, which will be announced by early October.

Those who suggested their names during round one will have the chance to win a complimentary, private National Aviary Skunk Painting Encounter and an up-close meet-and-greet with both skunk sisters.

The full list of contest rules can be found online.

If you’re looking to the adorable pictures for inspiration, it may seem difficult at first to tell the skunk sisters apart. However, aviary staff insist they do, in fact, have some physical differences, especially if you look at the white stripes on top of their heads.

One sister’s stripe curves slightly and points toward her left nostril, while the other has a narrow stripe that tapers inward on both sides, reaching a narrow peak.

About the Babies

While the sisters are from the same litter, officials say each has their own unique personality, as well as shared interests. Both favor insects like crickets, mealworms and superworms. They also enjoy hard-boiled eggs and will begrudgingly eat their vegetables. 

Both spend time interacting with educational, engaging items, particularly foraging activities that allow them to dig, which is a natural skunk behavior. They also both enjoy interacting with humans. 

Their ambassadorship runs in their blood; their mother Lily is an Animal Ambassador at the Cincinnati Zoo. Born in 2023, Lily has been meeting zoo guests since she was five weeks old.

And even if you may not think of non-avian animals when you think of the National Aviary, the skunks’ presence there “helps to educate about biodiversity in habitats,” officials say. Striped skunks are a local species native to Western Pennsylvania, while the aviary’s sloths, bats, reptiles and armadillos represent species from around the world.

The sisters currently live in a home behind the scenes, but can be seen during the aviary’s upcoming Forest Friends: Expert Talk, included with general admission, as well as in the add-on Skunk Painting Encounter, both available on any day the aviary is open.