Skunks get a bad rap, but one Fall River man has proved that there is more to them than just a bad smell. When Christiano Gomes shared a video of him petting and feeding a skunk, it caught my attention.

Christiano Gomes is a lover of all animals. He leaves unsalted roasted peanuts in his backyard for blue jays and leaves cat food out for stray cats in his Fall River neighborhood, and soon, the food began attracting other animals.

“About two months ago, other animals started showing up at night like raccoons, opossum, and this skunk,” Gomes said.

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If I saw a skunk outside my door, I would be a little weary, but not Gomes. Instead of scaring the skunk away, he welcomed it with more peanuts.

When the skunk continued to return, Gomes got curious.

“I would open the door and he would be very offensive, heavy tail raised, and sometimes even have his backside facing towards me as if he’s about to spray me,” he said.

As a lover of all animals, it didn’t deter Gomes from trying to win this skunk over. He began crushing up the peanuts to make eating a little easier for his new friend.

“When I would open up the door with the crushed peanuts, he would look at me like a dog excited for the food,” Gomes said. Eventually, after several failed attempts, the skunk allowed Gomes to pet him, and Gomes caught it all on video.

Gomes has no intention of taking in the skunk as a pet. He just enjoys helping animals in his neighborhood, and thanks to his fenced-in yard, he won’t have to worry about larger animals messing with his little visitors.

I give this man credit for being brave enough to give this skunk a chance. All animals deserve love – even the smellier ones.

Some animals are misunderstood. LOOK: Here are the pets banned in each state

Because the regulation of exotic animals is left to states, some organizations, including The Humane Society of the United States, advocate for federal, standardized legislation that would ban owning large cats, bears, primates, and large poisonous snakes as pets.

Read on to see which pets are banned in your home state, as well as across the nation.

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