Rabid skunks are causing a stink in Carlsbad, N.M. After 15 years without a confirmed case of rabies, the southeastern New Mexico county where Carlsbad is the county seat has seen about 30 skunks test positive for rabies since December. Skunks are in search of food and water amid a persistent drought, one of the reasons—along with a mild winter—that experts cite for an increase in rabid skunks in states ranging from New Mexico to South Dakota. And Carlsbad, a city of 26,000 people nestled along the Pecos River, has become a big draw.