Dear Editor:
The skunk featured in your July 25 edition is not the only one to get into trouble with a discarded dome lid on the North Shore (Hapless NV Skunk Highlights Wildlife Issue, North Shore News)
Late last Wednesday night, I heard a noise near my garbage bin and found a small skunk wandering about with his head wedged, and fully enclosed, in a plastic Tim Hortons cup.
His head was jammed inside the domed lid of the cup, and he was helplessly stumbling about, unable even to see properly.
My son helped to corner him with a blanket, and I was able to approach him with a bright flashlight shining in his eyes. While he was fixated on the light, I quickly freed him.
Luckily, the entire cup with the attached lid came off in one piece. He looked up at me a bit dazed and wandered off into the forest. Fortunately, he never sprayed at any time during this event.
It's probable that, had we not been there to free him, he would have remained helpless and would have had a miserable ending. Alternatively, the cup could have come off the lid, and he would have suffered with a sharp plastic ring cutting into his growing neck.
Clearly, there is a serious design flaw with this type of plastic lid; the large opening in the top allows a small animal to get its head inside and become trapped.
What are the manufacturers doing to correct this issue? A modified lid design is required to prevent this from happening. They should reduce the hole to the diameter of a straw. If customers needed to use a spoon, they could remove the lid.
It's a very negative advert for Tim Hortons, and I'm sure something they never anticipated.
Lane du Toit North Vancouver
