Animal Rescue Team

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Southern California City, Nonprofit Organizations Raise Lion Poacher Reward

Media Contacts:
Patrick Foy, DFG Law Enforcement, (916) 508-7095
Andrew Hughan, DFG Communications, (916) 322-8944
Tony Coroalles, Calabasas City Manager, (818) 224-1606
A city and two nonprofit groups’ combined commitments more than double the reward offered for information on a brutal mountain lion killing. The City of Calabasas in eastern Los Angeles County has matched the $5,000 reward being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of poachers who killed a mountain lion in the Santa Monica Mountains last month. Two other groups put up an additional $1,700 for a total reward of $11,700.
“Our community is stunned that someone would intentionally kill one of our rare mountain lions,” said Calabasas City Councilmember Mary Sue Maurer. “We are determined to do everything we can to bring the perpetrator to justice.”
The CalTIP Foundation (Californians Turn In Poachers and Polluters) offered the initial $2,500, followed by the Humane Society of the United States and the Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust, who matched that amount.
The Santa Barbara County based Animal Rescue Team, Inc. pledged $1,500 and Mountain Lion Foundation added the additional $200.
The CalTIP Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charity that supports anti-poaching and anti-pollution enforcement efforts in California. Tax-deductible donations to support the CalTIP Foundation can be sent to CalTIP Inc., PMB #125, 417 Mace Blvd., Suite J, Davis, CA 95618.
The lion was discovered on Sept. 11, 2011 after DFG and the National Park Service received a call of a dead mountain lion in the Santa Monica Mountains. DFG game wardens determined that the lion did not die of natural causes and opened an investigation.
Mountain lions are designated as a “specially protected mammal” in California, and it is illegal to hunt or trap them.
DFG and the National Park Service are seeking information related to the lion death and the parties responsible. Anyone with any information regarding this case should call the CalTIP hotline at 1-888-334-2258.

Local Animal Advocate to Star in TV Show

By MORGAN HOOVER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

November 22, 2011 6:31 AM

The executive director of the Animal Rescue Team will be featured in January on Animal Planet’s hit show “Animal Hoarders.”
Julia Di Sieno, known for her love of all things animal and co-founder of the Animal Rescue Team, told the News-Press she traveled to Pahrump, Nev., for the episode, in which a woman had more than 85 cats, 18 dogs, three pigs, rabbits, ducks, a turkey, four horses, a llama, a raven and some California quail.
Ms. Di Sieno, called in to help place the approximately 15 rabbits, fowl and birds, said Animal Planet had heard of the work of the Santa Barbara County-based rescue operation. When she arrived in Nevada, the scene was a sad one, she said.
“A lady used to work at an animal shelter, and she had acquired many animals that were slated for euthanasia,” she explained, “so … because of her big heart and her soft spot for animals, she would continue to bring all these animals home until her sister said, ‘Hey look, you’ve got to quit here.’ ”
Ms. Di Sieno said the woman lives in a trailer in Pahrump.
“There were two other trailers parked next to it, and I believe those were family members living on the lot, the property,” she said. “The property was several acres. It was extremely barren with no shelter.”
The woman parted with some of her animals, but not all of them. In fact, said Ms. Di Sieno, she was able to part with only 25 of the 85 cats.
“She was just struggling with handing over the cats,” she said. “She was just in too deep.”
According to the animal advocate, the trailer’s windows were all left open because it had no air conditioning. Cats were free to come and go.
“When we were there it was 115 degrees,” she said. “The kitties were seeking shade, shelter, wherever they could. They were all congregated close by where there was shade.”
For her part, Ms. Di Sieno said the experience left her with no regrets.
“I met some very nice people,” she said. “I can relate to how this happened, and how she acquired these animals makes perfect sense, and she realized she had gotten herself in too deep and admitted to it.”
Ms. Di Sieno said the woman was taking steps toward rectifying the problem.
She said before she undertook the experience, she watched a couple of episodes of “Animal Hoarders” to condition herself.
“We were blessed this was not as horrific,” she said. “This was a genuine case of someone that deeply cared for animals, that lost her job, was trying to raise two kids as a single mom and also caring for her ailing mother, and she wanted to do what was best for the animals.”
According to information from Driving the Bus Productions II Inc., there are more than 3,000 cases of animal hoarding reported a year, and at least 10 times that number go unreported.

For more information, go to www.animalhoardingproject.com.

email: mhoover@newspress.com

CRASS MENAGERIE:

Local group rescues critters from Nevada hoarder on upcoming Animal Planet show

It was 115 degrees in the Nevada desert, and more than 100 animals were kept in a trailer and outdoor chicken-wire cages. They were confined with little room to move. Inside one of three trailers, arranged around a makeshift courtyard, you had to step over some of the 18 dogs to get to the 85 cats, half of them feral.

Lauren Scott likely will never forget the odor inside the trailer, where an unemployed single mother and her two young daughters lived with 40 cats. The wild cats could come and go through holes in the decaying floor.

“It was the smell of all those animals in one place,” said Ms. Scott, operational manager of Solvang-based Animal Rescue Team Inc. “You could smell it from the front gate. There were more fleas in that place than I’ve seen in stables.”

Sadly, the woman living at the Pahrump, Nev., home had taken on more than she could handle with time or money, said Julia Di Sieno, executive director of Animal Rescue Team.

Besides the 85 cats and 18 dogs, there were four horses, four doves, four pigs, three roosters, several rabbits, two ducks, one turkey, one hen, one pigeon, and everything but a partridge in a pear tree.

Oh, and don’t forget the llama.

Ms. Di Sieno, Ms. Scott, and volunteers Lisa Mathiasen and Bryan Muñana drove in an SUV — aka the Animal Rescue Team ambulance — to Pahrump July 25 to take 14 animals from the hoarder. They were two bunnies, the ringneck doves, the roosters, the ducks, the female turkey, a pigeon and a hen.

Animal Rescue Team’s removal of the animals was filmed during a “Confessions: Animal Hoarding” episode that will air early next year on Animal Planet. The cable network hasn’t released the exact date.

When a film production company working for Animal Planet heard about the home in Pahrump, a small town in the middle of nowhere, they contacted Ms. Di Sieno, 51. The Animal Planet series shows rescues of animals from hoarders — people whose obsession with animals lead them to take on too many — often living in deplorable conditions.

“She (the hoarder) was very passionate about the animals. She realized she had gotten in too deep,” Ms. Di Sieno said.

She kept thinking, “I can always take on one more,” until one more became more than a hundred, Ms. Di Sieno said. “She did have a lot of knowledge, but did not have the financial resources.”

The woman, who used to work at a shelter that killed strays, was worried that her animals would also end up being euthanized at the shelter.

It can be hard to say no to taking in an animal who needs a home, but quality of care matters more than quantity, Ms. Di Sieno told the News-Press last week over the assorted sounds of birds at Animal Rescue Team’s facility in Solvang.

CARES Coalition removed 24 of the cats. Ironwood Pig Sanctuary took the pigs.

The fate of the horses and dogs is unknown.

The animals at the Pahrump home seemed healthy, except for one rooster with a swollen leg and a cat who needed to be dewormed and was blind in one eye, Ms. Di Sieno said. “She was unable to afford to have it dewormed.”

“I felt sorry for the llama,” Ms. Di Sieno added. “It had not been sheared for years, and it was 115 degrees.”

Driving The Bus Productions Inc., the Vancouver, B.C., company producing “Confessions: Animal Hoarding,” heard about the Pahrump woman from her sister. Ms. Di Sieno said the woman didn’t resist the efforts, in most cases, to take her animals, but was in tears, and her children were upset about losing their furry friends.

“When it came to the cats, she did backpedal,” said Ms. Di Sieno.

Ultimately, CARES Coalition, which was there the same day as Animal Rescue Team, took 24 cats and asked Ms. Di Sieno if she could take some. Given the limited space in the SUV, she wasn’t able to do so. She also had hoped to take a California quail and a raven, but a call to California Fish & Game determined they couldn’t be brought across the border. Ms. Di Sieno referred the hoarder to a Lake Tahoe, Nev., organization to take them, but doesn’t know whether that happened.

It took two or three hours to load the animals after Animal Rescue Team arrived there at 10:30 a.m., Ms. Di Sieno said.

After driving them back in the Animal Rescue Team ambulance, Ms. Di Sieno found a home for three ringneck doves and the pigeon at a 10-acre Santa Maria ranch, while the turkey got a home in the Santa Ynez Valley. Another home in the Santa Ynez Valley took the hen and a rooster. The bunnies, another rooster, one dove and the ducks remain at Animal Rescue Team.

One rooster died.

The animals at Ms. Di Sieno’s facility have more space than they did in Pahrump, living in large metal cages that protect them from predators better than the small chicken-wire cages. Ms. Di Sieno gave a quick tour showing ART’s veterinary hospital, a small building, and large cages with space between them. She clapped her hands to encourage fawns from getting too close to a fence. “I don’t want them to like us,” she said, referring to preserving their wild instincts.

Before “Confessions: Animal Hoarding,” Animal Rescue Team had had a dog featured on a talent show on Animal Planet and had a photo of an unusual bond between two animals on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”

When it comes to caring for animals, people must be realistic about their limitations, Ms. Di Sieno said.

“If you do get in too deep, help is available.”

email: dmason@newspress.com

Great Horned Owl found stuck in truck grill : Rescuers free bird with few injuries

Raymond Notthoff, a 58-year-old truck driver from Rosemead, was in for a frightening, feathery surprise when a great horned owl managed to get stuck in the front grill of his truck as he drove southbound on State Route 135 near Los Alamos.
To the relief — and surprise — of those involved, the owl was hardly injured. As the bird flew directly toward his International semi truck around 11 p.m. on July 6, Mr. Notthoff hit his brakes.
But it was too late — the owl made contact with the truck. Mr.. Notthoff searched the area for the creature, but, not finding it, continued to drive.
It was only then that he noticed a pair of wings extending from the grill of his truck up over the hood, according to a news release from the Santa Maria office of the California Highway Patrol.
Cautiously, Mr. Notthoff drove until he found a Chevron station to examine the still-living creature and any damage to his truck. After Mr. Notthoff called the CHP for help, Officers Mike Gruver and Dave Medina came to the station and freed the owl.
The officers placed the bird in a box and covered it to pacify and protect it.
The great horned owl was placed in the care of Julia Di Sieno of the Solvang-based Animal Rescue Team. Ms. Di Sieno examined the bird and determined that, aside from minor bruises and soreness, it wasn’t injured, just startled.
Ms. Di Sieno, licensed and permitted by the California Department of Fish and Game, said the male great horned owl was soon able to fly perfectly fine on its own. After a few days of caring for the animal, she released it in a ranch not far from where it hit the truck.
The Animal Rescue Team tries to place animals within a three-mile radius of where they are first found, she said.
“He did exceptionally well when I let him go,” Ms. Di Sieno told the News-Press.
Great horned owls, with gray-and-brown heads, often have a pattern on their bodies resembling bark. There are five subspecies of the owl in the western states, all of which can apparently be found within California, according to the Field Guide to Owls of California and the West by Hans Peeters.
This type of owl, according to the guide, sometimes makes it all the way to Santa Barbara Island.
The Animal Rescue Team, begun just four years ago, sees quite a few owls hit by vehicles, Ms. Di Sieno said. But few are as fortunate as this owl was.
Owls often get a sort of tunnel vision hunting for prey at night, failing to see their dangerous surroundings. In this instance, the owl hit the truck at an angle, and the truck had already slowed.
If the truck and owl had to collide, there couldn’t have been a more “perfect landing,” Ms. Di Sieno said.
The Animal Rescue Team, which took in about 230 animals in 2010, has seen almost double that so far this year — mostly because it now has more resources to care for wounded animals.
“We’ve already hit the 400 mark,” Ms. Di Sieno said.
Mostly, the facility cares for large mammals, like bobcats and wolves. It is the only facility that accepts wolves and fawns for miles around. But all animals in need are welcome.
“We never refuse any animal here,” Ms. Di Sieno said.
Anyone who finds an injured animal is urged by the Animal Rescue Team to call their hotline at 896-1859. The team is on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and responds to Santa Ynez, Buellton, Lompoc and Santa Maria.

WASHOE WILDLIFE BOARD VOTES AGAINST BEAR HUNT 4:1.

In a surprise vote late Wednesday night, the Washoe County Advisory Board to Manage Wildlife voted not to endorse the new bear hunt being considered by the Nevada Wildlife Commission.

The 5 member board will send their opinion to the August 13th Commission meeting in Fallon, Nevada.

“This bear hunt has been rammed down the throats of the public by the Commission,” said Vice Chair Rick Smith. “I’m not against the hunt because I believe we can have one. I’m voting against it because of how it was presented to the public. You didn’t see it coming and neither did we.”

“I’m not sure where the hell I stand. The numbers against the hunt are pretty high. I don’t see how we ignore that,” said board member John Reed.

Twelve members of the public spoke against the hunt while three were for it. Chairman Flowers showed a 2″ thick folder of emails the board had received. “There are hundreds here, almost all against the hunt.”

During comments the board was shown nearly 5000 signatures gathered on paper by the grassroots organization NoBearHuntNV.org. Organizer Billy Howard told the board that people signing the petitions even at that moment. “We don’t just ask for people’s signatures, we ask them to take a sheet and get some, too.. They are pouring into our mailbox. Together with our online signatures we have over 13,000 people signing on against the hunt.”

“This is a painful topic. I think the people against the hunt should have at least one more chance to air their feelings and I’m not sure they will have another recourse if the hunt is made permanent. I don’t see how we can ignore the 13,000 or so signatures,” mused Reed.

The Wildlife Commission voted for the bear hunt regulation in December, but Nevada law states the ruling could only be considered temporary because the Legislature was in session at the time. Once the Legislature disbands agencies then make their temporary regulations permanent. The Nevada Legislature convenes once every two years.

Chairman Rex Flowers supplied the sole yes vote. “I feel the regulation is well thought out. If the hunt does not go well it will come to an end.”

But Smith countered, “If we don’t approve making the hunt permanent we’re sending the message to the Commission that we can come up with compromises on this issue and work it out.”

Opinion: Bobcats under increased threat

Julia J. Di Sieno

May 1, 2011 10:02 AM

Dear Sen. Tony Strickland:

Please, we need your help immediately.

Bobcat fur coats have become a hot item among the fashion conscious in Russia, China, Italy and Greece, leading to a big jump in prices and exports for the soft, spotted pelts. The fur’s booming popularity has some wildlife advocates worried about the possible over-trapping of the cats, which are so reclusive that most states do not know just how many exist.

Bobcat pelts now draw some of the highest prices among trapped furs, recently commanding as much as $600 for a single hide. As the price has gone up, the number of bobcat skins exported by the U.S. has nearly tripled in six years — 50,000 in 2006.

Because most state wildlife officials do not the know the actual size of their bobcat populations, there is no way to determine if they are being over-trapped, according to wildlife advocates. Federal officials say they are not concerned about the population of bobcats, which are twice the size of a domestic house cat and prowl in every state but Alaska, Delaware and Hawaii. Fish & Wildlife Service estimates there are at least 1.4 million to 2.6 million bobcats nationwide.

Why on earth would the U.S. government try to weaken international protection for bobcats? These animals native to the U.S., Canada and Mexico already face death at the hands of hunters who sell their beautiful spotted pelts. Too many Americans are unaware that bobcats are perhaps the world’s most highly traded species. One estimate indicates that commercial hunters every year sell more than 54,000 skins on the international market. That is a five-fold increase since the mid-1990s.

The U.S. is the biggest exporter of bobcat pelts. Many pelts end up in Italy and Greece, where companies turn the spotted furs into coats and other garments. Making the situation even more distressing is that these bobcats die an inhumane death. Hunters often use leg-hold traps to capture and then kill the animals.

Bobcats, like all such apex predators, are a vital part of the web of life. They help balance the ecosystem by controlling populations of rodents and other small prey.

The bobcat is protected under the Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, known as CITES.

We use the word “protected” loosely because loopholes, exemptions and lax enforcement have allowed a large market for the international trading of bobcats.

The Humane Society of the United States notes that the bobcat is listed on CITES Appendix II, meaning that their pelts 0x1dcan be exported only if the exporting country makes a scientifically based finding that the export will not cause a detriment to the survival of the species.

The group adds: “The most recent population estimate for the U.S. is more than 26 years old and there are no population estimates for Canada and Mexico. The wild bobcat population is considered to be decreasing.”

The Department of Interior wants to eliminate international protections so the federal government does not have to make the scientific findings now required. Bobcats already are on the decline facing sport hunting, urban sprawl, disease and poisoning. This move would mean more would die.

Recently, Animal Rescue Team Inc. has been alerted that several commercial trappers near the hills of Ojai have set nearly 170 traps intended for bobcats. These shy and elusive animals need our protection immediately.

District attorney’s office reviewing owl killings

SCOTT STEEPLETON, NEWS-PRESS CITY EDITOR

April 23, 2011 7:58 AM

The Santa Barbara County district attorney’s office has received a report from state Fish and Game on the case of two 17-year-olds accused of killing four young barn owls that nested in hay bales the boys were delivering to a Lompoc animal sanctuary.

Jerry McBeth, a senior deputy district attorney in Lompoc, said his office is waiting for a formal referral of the matter from the county Probation Department, which, by law, handles juvenile cases.

State law prohibits justice officials from disclosing, except in rare cases, the names of juvenile offenders, any charges against them and any punishment they might receive. In addition, court hearings and files involving juveniles, unless those charged as adults, are not handled in open court like criminal cases involving adults.

“Generally speaking, juvenile matters are closed to the public,” said Mr. McBeth. “If someone is a victim of a crime, there are accommodations for those people to attend a juvenile hearing that involves the victim.”

It’s not clear, in the case of the barn owls, whether any person could be considered a victim of a crime.

The Santa Barbara County district attorney’s office is barred from disclosing the names of the teenagers in the barn owls case.

But the News-Press has confirmed they are Hunter Jacobsen, whose family owns the hay company and Lonny Tomasini, who turned 18 on Thursday. Both are skilled marksmen, recognized by shooting clubs for their abilities.

Both are also avid hunters. Their Facebook and MySpace pages (before being taken down in the wake of the owl incident) featured photos of them with a variety of kills large and small.

Hunter’s stepmother, Carla Jacobsen, told the News-Press the boys acted out of mercy at the Sheltering Oak Sanctuary April 6, killing the owls, whom they said were injured, with quick blows from a two-by-four to put them out of their misery.

But the investigating Fish and Game warden, Lt. James Solis, told the paper last week: “I didn’t see any evidence that this was a mercy killing.”

“But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a mercy killing,” he added.

Thea DiNuzzo, who with her husband, Tony DiNuzzo, witnessed the killings, doubt the mercy claim. She told the News-Press earlier they saw the boys throw rocks at the owls and hit them repeatedly with the two-by-four.

Barn owls are considered nongame birds, the killing of which could be considered a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine and six months behind bars.

But whether the teenagers in this case would even be cited is not a matter of public record.

“The legislature has set the procedures on what can be released in juvenile cases,” said Mr. McBeth.

“Our hands are tied on this.”

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