News of the Arroyo
Title: | Trail a dumping ground for pets |
Subtitle: | |
Date: | 2003-03-08 |
Summary: | March 8 -- City-dwellers with unwanted pets are releasing them in the Angeles National Forest in the mistaken belief that the animals will survive in the wild. |
Author: | Becky Oskin, Staff Writer |
Publication: | Pasadena Star News |
Content: | Abandoning animals on forest land illegal ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST -- In the chaparral-covered hills above Altadena, homeowners living at the edge of human development expect to see coyotes and bobcats trotting through their yards. Residents know to keep their animals in at night, lest their pets become prey. The dividing line between metropolis and forest also seems to draw city dwellers with pets to spare. A cabin caretaker recently discovered a herd of eight to ten cream-colored pet rabbits apparently abandoned on Chaney Trail, the narrow, winding road leading to forest cabins and the Millard Canyon campground. Only two could be captured the rest disappeared and haven\'t been seen since. \"The rabbits are just one of the more bizarre examples of a chronic problem,\' said homeowner Lori Paul, who lives near the national forest boundary. \"People are cowardly and they don\'t want to take responsibility for finding homes for their animals. The prefer the illusion or the disillusion, if you will that dumping off their animals in the forest means they\'ll be free,\' Paul said. \"I can only imagine the fear and suffering they go through before they\'re dispatched\' by coyotes or wandering dogs, Paul said. Abandoning animals is illegal both in the national forest and Los Angeles County. Forest Service spokeswoman Kathy Peterson said any reports of abandoned pets are referred to Los Angeles County\'s Department of Animal Care and Control, which also serves Altadena. Kaye Michelson, spokeswoman for Animal Care, said the county does not have a widespread problem of animal abandonment in the foothills areas served by the county. \"It\'s not something that happens frequently, fortunately.\' But for Chaney Trail residents, deserted animals appears all too often. Homeowner Rob Staehle once found a docile chicken pecking at the dirt on the Altadena Crest Trail. In the middle of a trail run, Staehle picked up the chicken and continued his jog. \"I asked him if the chicken was frightened,\' said Lori Paul, Staehle\'s wife. \"He said the chicken seemed to enjoy the run.\' Lonnie Fehr, Millard Canyon campground manager, said he has twice found rabbits on Chaney Trail. \"They\'re mostly all males. Somebody thought it might be a breeder in the area, because you only need a couple bucks for the does,\' he said. \"They might as well kill them before they brought them here. It doesn\'t make a difference,\' Fehr said. Fehr was able to capture some of the rabbits discovered by cabin caretaker Gordon Douglas on Monday morning. \"The (rabbits) must\'ve just been dumped, because they were running all over the road, hanging together,\' Douglas said. With another driver who stopped to avoid squashing the frightened animals, Douglas tried to shoo them off the road. Instead, the rabbits panicked and ran under the driver\'s BMW. After 20 minutes of coaxing and gently pushing with the flat end of a rake, the two men cleared the rabbits from the car. As the BMW driver rolled away, a few hopped after the car, as if seeking human protection, Douglas said. With a full truck and a waiting appointment in town, Douglas asked Fehr to try and rescue the furry pets, but only two were recovered. They\'re waiting for adoption at Fehr\'s campground trailer. \"I wish I had stopped and rescued them all,\' Douglas said. \"I can still see them on the road in my mind.\' Becky Oskin can be reached at (626) 578-6300, Ext. 4451, or by e-mail at becky.oskin@sgvn.com. --- |
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