Campers Shocked After Finding Wild Animal in Their Tent

A video of campers receiving an unexpected visit in the night has gone viral on TikTok.
The clip was posted by @larenaleyva and has garnered 1.2 million views since it was shared on August 25.
A message overlaid on the clip says: “When you hear something inside your tent.” The footage shows a man wearing a torch light standing inside a tent beside a raised bed. As the man slowly lifts a part of the sheet off the bed, a skunk is later seen scurrying across below the bed.
A caption shared with the post says: “He just wanted some crackers.”
The skunk sighting in the viral clip is not unusual because “the odds are good that most of us will cross paths with the famously funky beasts at some point,” notes the National Wildlife Federation.
Among the world’s 12 known skunk species, “the one most likely to stroll through U.S. gardens is Mephitis mephitis, the striped skunk,” the nonprofit says.
There are around five to 13 striped skunks per square mile across the continental United States, and they can be found in a range of areas from southern Canada to northern Mexico. Skunks, which are about the size of house cats, have adapted to various habitats, from wilderness and farmland to industrial parks and housing developments, according to the nonprofit.
The foundation says: “A skunk may emit a mere whiff of odor to repel a minor annoyance or, when fleeing a predator it can’t see, release a cloud of foul musk that can stop a pursuer in its tracks.
“For its most intense, targeted attack, a skunk twists into a U-shape so that both eyes and rump confront the threat, then aims a stream of noxious liquid right at its enemy’s face,” the foundation adds. “Gagging, pain in the sensitive membranes of the nose and mouth, even temporary blindness can result from a direct hit.”
Ohio State University biologist Stan Gehrt notes, however, that skunks typically give repeated warnings before releasing the odor as a last resort. These include hoisting their tails, stamping their front feet, hissing and lunging at their antagonists.
According to a subsequent video shared by the original poster, the skunk managed to get inside the tent after her “grandpa left and forgot to close the tent door, so my husband went inside to try and get it out.”
The footage later shows the skunk walking around inside the tent before it eventually hops out of it and runs off.
TikTok users were both amused and alarmed by the skunk in the viral clip, such as Hellcat who said “Omgoodness that’s a skunk hope he didn’t spray in it.” The original poster replied that it didn’t.
Amy noted “that’s a stinky situation” and shelley1 said “Omg that’s one of the last things you want in your tent.”
Kobe’sPilot said the scene was “straight out of a horror movie.”
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok and email. This video has not been independently verified.
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