ANIMAL shelter volunteers are definitely not kicking up a stink about their two newest - and cutest - baby residents.

A pair of newborn skunks have been welcomed with open arms at Amate Animalia, an exotic animal rescue charity in Oxfordshire.

Staff are working tirelessly night and day to nurture them to good health, with volunteers taking it in turns to carry out nightly feeds every two hours.

Volunteer Megan Taylor said the skunks were rescued from a breeder who had "got in too deep".

She said: "The mother rejected a litter and the breeder was trying to hand-rear them, but it's so difficult.

"If the mother rejects babies it might be for a reason, but then she won't invest time, energy and milk in babies that won't live.

"But what we think is the skunk enclosure was not adequate, it wasn't the right set-up."

The babies, one girl and one boy, are less than two weeks old and will be cared for by Amate Animalia until they are healthy enough to find a permanent home.

Miss Taylor added: "We want them to go to zoological gardens but its impossible because they're not endangered.

"They can't be released back into the wild as their mums and grandmothers would have all been born in the UK, so they wouldn't be allowed to go back to Canada."

Staff at the shelter, which also has a base in Gloucestershire, are very careful about revealing where they are located in the county due to some skunk breeders giving them a hard time.

Miss Taylor added: "Even breeders that know lots about skunks need a helping hand – this shows they are best left in the wild.

"Some of these people charge £350 to £400 for a skunk, but then they get funny when we ask for a donation. We spend £600-800 per skunk, why can't we have a donation fee of £400?"

Visit amate-animalia.co.uk for more information about the charity.