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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.”
April 17, 2011 11:42 AM
So now we are supposed to look upon these two killers as victims because they haven’t slept in a week and have been criticized for killing four defenseless baby owls?
Only a moron would expect any sane person to believe that crap.
Hunter Jacobsen, one of the 17-year-old killers and his accomplice, who law officials are refusing to identify — something for another editorial — committed a heinous crime and they should pay a very stiff price for their actions. Prison time and heavy fines wouldn’t be enough.
Unfortunately, in this case, it looks like even that won’t happen. Killing the baby owls is a only misdemeanor and the most they could get is a 6-month prison term and a $10,000 fine — if they were adults. Apparently at this point, these two are considered juveniles.
Carla Jacobsen, step-mother of Hunter, along with the other parents, are probably just as much to blame for this crime. There has been an astonishing lack of any remorse, expression of outrage or horror about their kids’ monstrous actions. We only get what are intended to be excuses from Mrs. Jacobsen. Only more insulting would be a plea of self-defense.
Certainly her misplaced concern about the effects of criticism on them is part of the problem; bigger problems are that she believes this was a “mercy killing,” that they “weren’t being malicious or mean,” the boys “were scared” (how about how frightened the baby owls must have been?) and that they didn’t “torture” the baby owls when they killed them with two-by-fours.
We as a civilized society cannot tolerate this behavior. No excuse or explanation will make this situation any better, and this is not a “learning moment.”
If the baby owls were truly injured — and we find this very hard to believe, since these two seem to have a habit of lying — why didn’t they go for help? How difficult would it have been to find someone?
If they are avid hunters as claimed, clearly they have no compunction about killing animals anyway. It is well known that serial killers often go on to kill people after torturing and killing animals.
These two killers should be in jail; they knew what they were doing when they committed this crime and have admitted as much, although now they are trying to sugar-coat it. These two killers shouldn’t be around any animals, ever.
Sign petitions to have these types of crimes be felonies with stiff fines and prison time for all age groups and demand that the District Attorney’s Office and law enforcement enforce these laws.
These two should be charged as adults. It’s time for the DA’s Office to get tough. Let’s hope it doesn’t wimp out on this crime the way it did with the 10 Tea Fire students.
DAVE MASON, NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
April 14, 2011 5:33 AM
The stepmother of one of the 17-year-old boys accused of taking the lives of baby owls in Lompoc last week said Wednesday it was a mercy killing — a contention disputed by a neighbor who witnessed the incident.
In an interview with the News-Press, Carla Jacobsen, co-owner of Jacobsen Hay & Feed in Santa Ynez and stepmother to Hunter Jacobsen — one of the boys involved — said the teenagers told a state Fish & Game warden investigating the matter that quick blows from a two-by-four were intended to end the suffering of two injured birds found in some hay bales.
As first reported by the News-Press, the teenagers were delivering hay to Sheltering Oak Sanctuary for rescued animals April 6 when they saw the owls among the bales.
Mrs. Jacobsen, 42, said the boys were not comfortable handling the birds and decided killing them was more compassionate than a slow, painful death.
“The boys did not torture them,” Mrs. Jacobsen said.
The News-Press contacted Mrs. Jacobsen’s stepson, but he declined comment. Authorities will not confirm the name of the other boy.
Information obtained by the News-Press indicates both are avid hunters.
Lt. James Solis of state Fish & Game told the News-Press he couldn’t disclose what the boys told him or whether he thought this was a mercy killing.
“I didn’t see any evidence that this was a mercy killing,” he added. “But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a mercy killing.”
After his interview with the boys, Lt. Solis sent a formal request for a citation to the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office.
Killing a nongame bird is a state misdemeanor.
Jill Anderson, 35, director and co-founder of the sanctuary, said she called Fish & Game last week after finding the birds’ remains and owl feathers and blood on a two-by-four.
Ms. Anderson told the News-Press Wednesday that she doesn’t doubt Mrs. Jacobsen believes the mercy killing explanation.
But that’s not what Ms. Anderson’s neighbors Tony and Thea DiNuzzo said they saw through their living room window that fateful day.
Mrs. DiNuzzo told the News-Press Wednesday she saw the boys throw rocks at the owls and hit them repeatedly with the two-by-four.
“This was not a mercy killing, not in the least,” she said. “If this was a mercy killing, why would they take so long and do it with such gusto?”
Mrs. Jacobsen said the boys didn’t know the owls were squashed in the hay until they arrived at the sanctuary.
The day of the incident, the boys told Michael Anderson, Ms. Anderson’s father, who came to pick up the hay to feed the sanctuary’s horses, that the owls were there when they arrived.
“They shouldn’t have lied,” Mrs. Jacobsen said. “They weren’t being malicious or mean. They panicked.”
“They learned a huge lesson,” she added, noting that the boys should have called someone for help. “They didn’t know they were at an animal rescue ranch.”
Return to Freedom American Wild Horse Sanctuary, where Ms. Anderson works, contracted with Jacobsen Hay & Feed to deliver the hay to the site. Ms. Anderson said Mrs. Jacobsen called Return to Freedom and apologized to her boss, Neda DeMayo, but didn’t explain it was a mercy killing.
Mrs. Jacobsen said the boys are willing to donate work to Sheltering Oak Sanctuary and Animal Rescue Team Inc., a Santa Barbara County nonprofit, to atone for the owls’ deaths.
“They’re willing to pay the price” and are remorseful, Mrs. Jacobsen said. “They haven’t slept in a week.”
She noted the boys have worked with animals, including cattle, and are 4-H members.
Mrs. Jacobsen said her company had never come across harmed owls in hay before this and hasn’t had a policy. Since the owls’ deaths, she said, she is keeping the phone number for Animal Rescue Team Inc. in her hay trucks, so her employees can call the nonprofit if they see injured animals.
Since the incident, Animal Rescue Team Inc. has posted an online petition, signed by 1,000 people, in support of stricter laws on animal cruelty for minors.
Mrs. Jacobsen said she is concerned about that petition’s effects on the boys as well as social media chatter criticizing them.
In response, Ms. Anderson said, “Nobody is trying to incite a lynch mob.”
She added: “I would love to sit down with the boys and give them an opportunity to explain.”
DAVE MASON, NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
April 9, 2011 9:26 AM
 Two 17-year-old boys could face criminal charges after they allegedly killed four baby barn owls, found mutilated at the Sheltering Oak Sanctuary in Lompoc.
Lt. James Solis, warden with the Santa Barbara office of state Department of Fish and Game, told the News-Press Friday he is putting together a formal request for a citation as he refers the matter to the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office.
Killing a nongame bird is a misdemeanor.
Lt. Solis said he talked to the boys Wednesday evening but couldn’t reveal details of the conversation.
The boys were on the property Wednesday afternoon to deliver hay from a company hired by the sanctuary.
Jill Anderson, 35, director and co-founder of the sanctuary and Shadow’s Fund, the nonprofit operating it, lives at the ranch. She said she received a call at work just before 4 p.m. Wednesday from her father, Michael Anderson, who lives at another home on the site.
He told her about finding the dead owls, and Ms. Anderson said she found the remains outside near a hay stack.
The sight shocked her. Their bodies were broken, Ms. Anderson told the News-Press Friday.
“Their legs were twisted. Their faces were completely smashed.”
The wings and talons made it clear they were owls, said Ms. Anderson said, who called Fish and Game.
Lt. Solis soon arrived and picked up the evidence, which he described as the owl remains and a nearby two-by-four with blood and owl feathers on it.
“When I first heard about it, I thought, ‘Was this a mercy killing?’ ” Ms. Anderson said.
But she said that the boys’ efforts to cover it up made it clear to her it was deliberate and malicious.
It’s likely, she said, that the baby owls had fallen into the hay before the boys transported the bales to the ranch.
She said her neighbors Tony and Thea DiNuzzo, who live in another house on the property, saw the boys hammer away at the hay stack with the board.
She said the couple watched them through their living room window. “They watched and saw this strange behavior. They didn’t know what to think.”
Soon afterward, her father came by to pick up the hay to feed the horses, Ms. Anderson said.
“He saw the dead owls and asked, ‘What’s that?’ ”
One of the boys replied: “They were there when we got here.”
Mr. Anderson wondered whether a hawk attacked the birds.
“The boys got in a hurry to leave and left a few hay bales on the ground, which was unusual,” Ms. Anderson said.
Workers at hay companies know they should put bales on palettes to avoid moisture, so the teenagers clearly were in a rush, she said.
As the boys drove off, the DiNuzzos came out and talked to Mr. Anderson. The three of them put the facts together, Ms. Anderson said.
The maximum punishment for killing a nongame bird is six months in prison and a $1,000 fine under state law, game warden Patrick Foy told the News-Press by phone from Sacramento.
Under the federal Migratory Bird Act, killing the baby owls is a misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of six months in prison and a $10,000 fine, said U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service spokesman Scott Flaherty by phone from Sacramento.
Juveniles are not prosecuted under the federal law, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife office.
In any case, Ms. Anderson said she sees community service as the likely outcome for the boys if convicted because they’re juveniles.
As for the state and federal laws governing this behavior, she added: “I don’t think either is strong enough. Every case of deliberate violence against a human or an animal should be considered a felony.”
It was particularly tragic that the deaths happened at the sanctuary, Ms. Anderson said.
“Our purpose is to protect animals.”
The facility cares for 20 dogs, 18 horses, six chicken, four pigs and a sheep. All but some of the horses are rescue animals.
Because of the owls’ deaths, Ms. Anderson said the ranch, which has no staff, will have increased security: Residents at the ranch will now take turns watching anyone coming on the property, gates previously left opened will be closed and signs will be posted saying that it’s illegal to kill animals.
The deaths raise questions about why anyone would kill baby animals and whether those who kill the weakest living things will go on to abuse or kill people.
“The issue is power,” said Richard Jarrette, a marriage and family therapist from Los Olivos, who sits on the advisory board for Animal Rescue Team Inc., a Santa Barbara County nonprofit. “We find a weaker thing, and we have authority over it.”
“There are some features in common with people who kill people and become serial killers,” he said, adding that it doesn’t necessarily follow that a kid who kills an animal would commit murder.
“They can be good kids from good families who got carried away. However, we have to investigate.”
Mr. Jarrette explained a therapist working with youths who killed animals would need to ask questions such as, “Do they set fires? Do they wet the bed? Do other kids like them? Are they loners? How do other kids view them? What’s their family history? Do they have mentors?”
He said remorse is a hopeful sign and that there can be opportunities to treat the offenders and give them a “learning moment.”
Ms. Anderson said her wish is for the boys to learn empathy for animals.
“I think there’s always hope. We rehabilitate youths, and we rehabilitate rescued animals,” she said.
“You have to start from a place of hope.”
Friends,
I just created a petition entitled Clubbing death of 4 baby owls, by two 17 year old’s., because I care deeply about this very important issue.
I’m trying to collect 20000 signatures, and I could really use your help.
To read more about what I’m trying to do and to sign my petition, click here:
http://www.change.org/petitions/clubbing-death-of-4-baby-owls-by-two-17-year-olds?share_id=SIROJIPbRW&pe=pce
It’ll just take a minute!
Once you’re done, please ask your friends to sign the petition as well. Grassroots movements succeed because people like you are willing to spread the word!
Animal Rescue Team, Inc
Animal rescue
On the night of March 3, the Animal Rescue Team, Inc. received an animal rescue call from San Luis Obispo CHP dispatch.
The dispatcher reported to me that a bobcat had been struck by a vehicle, and that the reporting party thought the injured bobcat could be saved. I immediately responded to Jonata Springs Road, near Bobcat Springs Road in Buellton. I was told that a CHP officer was standing by and awaiting my arrival in our rescue vehicle. Upon my arrival, the situation was assessed and we tried to use a catch pole to apprehend the injured bobcat.
Unfortunately, the bobcat squeezed through a large wire mesh fence, and was now on the right shoulder of the southbound 101 shoulder. CHP Officer David Voorhees immediately jumped the fence, in an attempt to dissuade the cat from running into traffic. While we all stood there worried, Officer Voorhees called for backup. Within minutes CHP officers Gregg Aiello, Shayne Dickson and Brian Rhodes pulled up alongside the southbound shoulder to assist. Officer Voorhees retrieved a catch pole from his patrol unit, and with the help of the other officers, was able to noose the injured cat. We then covered the cat with a blanket and managed to safely put the bobcat into a veri kennel.
Without the help and compassion that the Buellton CHP officers displayed, this cat could not have been rescued safely.
From all of us at the Animal Rescue Team, Inc. in Solvang, a very heartfelt thank you, to our truly dedicated officers, for going way beyond the call of duty. Together we can make a difference for our local wildlife when such tragedy strikes in our valley.
Julia J. Di Sieno, executive director
Animal Rescue Team, Inc.
Solvang
805 896-1859
CATHERINE SHEN, NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT February 10, 2011 5:44 AM A kill order has been issued for a bobcat or mountain lion that may have destroyed livestock at a Goleta home on Monday. The animal, according to an e-mail sent out by a local resident as a warning to the community, took several chickens and a pet pig from a Winchester Canyon property on lower Vereda del Ciervo. Fearing the animal may pose a serious threat to the family and the surrounding areas, the Department of Fish and Game and an agent from the U.S. Department of Agriculture determined that a bobcat or possibly a mountain lion killed the livestock. Traps have been arranged by a federal trapper. The action has outraged many people in the community who fear the traps could capture innocent wildlife. Some experts don’t believe it is necessary to kill the animal. Amy Rodrigues, outreach coordinator for the Sacramento-based Mountain Lion Foundation, said that many times when a family loses livestock to a mountain lion, the first reaction is revenge. “The idea that ‘I need to kill the animal’ allows them to believe that’s the solution, but it’s not,” said Ms. Rodrigues. “This isn’t going to solve the problem. A lot of times when the assessments are made by the agents, they see the family is upset, then the default solution is to kill it.” She said lions are territorial and killing one will only open the landscape for more animals to move in. “It’s like opening up real estate,” Ms. Rodrigues said. “More mountain lions will come through to check out the new habitat and kill each other for it. This will also affect the younger lions as well, who will be looking for free space, and they will most likely go after pets and livestock, at least until they are finished fighting over the open space.” Officials with the Department of Fish and Game did not return telephone calls Wednesday. Julia Di Sieno, executive director of Santa Ynez-based Animal Rescue Team, said her organization will try to persuade the family to reconsider the depredation permit, which allows the predator to be killed. “The sad thing is most of the mountain lions in the area are mothers,” Ms. Di Sieno said. “They are either trying to feed their family or they are currently pregnant because it’s baby season. The animals want nothing to do with us; the lion who got into the coop was probably a mother looking for food to feed her cubs.” Ms. Di Sieno said that the remote north Goleta area is filled with wildlife. “Just last year, we had to deal with a bear that was in the area, but the warden involved at the time felt it wasn’t going to do the community harm so we let it do its thing,” Ms. Di Sieno said. “If people live within a wildlife habitat, you must anticipate the animal’s appearances. You are simply inviting them in if you have livestock.” Adult lions generally avoid people, she said. They also keep the younger lions as well as coyotes away from human population, so if an adult lion is in the area, it is wise to keep it alive, according to the Mountain Lion Foundation. “The best thing to do right now is to remove any attractant, which means bringing any roaming pets indoors at night and covering up garbage cans. Securing pet food and removing any fallen fruit will also help keep ‘lion food’ like raccoons and possums away,” said Ms. Rodrigues. “If there is no food, the lion will move on.” There are several nonlethal ways to approach the issue, she said. Hazing can be used if an animal is sighted,” Ms. Rodrigues said. “We have animal control officers who use pepper-spray bullets that have non-lethal irritating substances that could cause a slight pain, but it scares the animals. They learn from the experience to not come back to where they got shot.” According to the Department of Fish and Game website, from 1890 to 2007, 17 mountain lion attacks on humans in California have been verified. Six were fatal. The Animal Rescue Team will be hosting an “Education Day for Mountain Lions” on March 4 in Solvang. “We will be teaching the community how to react if you encounter a wild animal, non-lethal techniques and how to co-exist with these animals,” Ms. Di Sieno said. “We highly encourage the community to attend and learn from our professionals.” The location of the workshop is to be announced. For more information, go to: www.animalrescueteam.net e-mail: news@newspress.com Mountain Lion Suspected in Goleta Livestock Deaths CATHERINE SHEN, NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT February 10, 2011 5:44 AM A kill order has been issued for a bobcat or mountain lion that may have destroyed livestock at a Goleta home on Monday. The animal, according to an e-mail sent out by a local resident as a warning to the community, took several chickens and a pet pig from a Winchester Canyon property on lower Vereda del Ciervo. Fearing the animal may pose a serious threat to the family and the surrounding areas, the Department of Fish and Game and an agent from the U.S. Department of Agriculture determined that a bobcat or possibly a mountain lion killed the livestock. Traps have been arranged by a federal trapper. The action has outraged many people in the community who fear the traps could capture innocent wildlife. Some experts don’t believe it is necessary to kill the animal. Amy Rodrigues, outreach coordinator for the Sacramento-based Mountain Lion Foundation, said that many times when a family loses livestock to a mountain lion, the first reaction is revenge. “The idea that ‘I need to kill the animal’ allows them to believe that’s the solution, but it’s not,” said Ms. Rodrigues. “This isn’t going to solve the problem. A lot of times when the assessments are made by the agents, they see the family is upset, then the default solution is to kill it.” She said lions are territorial and killing one will only open the landscape for more animals to move in. “It’s like opening up real estate,” Ms. Rodrigues said. “More mountain lions will come through to check out the new habitat and kill each other for it. This will also affect the younger lions as well, who will be looking for free space, and they will most likely go after pets and livestock, at least until they are finished fighting over the open space.” Officials with the Department of Fish and Game did not return telephone calls Wednesday. Julia Di Sieno, executive director of Santa Ynez-based Animal Rescue Team, said her organization will try to persuade the family to reconsider the depredation permit, which allows the predator to be killed. “The sad thing is most of the mountain lions in the area are mothers,” Ms. Di Sieno said. “They are either trying to feed their family or they are currently pregnant because it’s baby season. The animals want nothing to do with us; the lion who got into the coop was probably a mother looking for food to feed her cubs.” Ms. Di Sieno said that the remote north Goleta area is filled with wildlife. “Just last year, we had to deal with a bear that was in the area, but the warden involved at the time felt it wasn’t going to do the community harm so we let it do its thing,” Ms. Di Sieno said. “If people live within a wildlife habitat, you must anticipate the animal’s appearances. You are simply inviting them in if you have livestock.” Adult lions generally avoid people, she said. They also keep the younger lions as well as coyotes away from human population, so if an adult lion is in the area, it is wise to keep it alive, according to the Mountain Lion Foundation. “The best thing to do right now is to remove any attractant, which means bringing any roaming pets indoors at night and covering up garbage cans. Securing pet food and removing any fallen fruit will also help keep ‘lion food’ like raccoons and possums away,” said Ms. Rodrigues. “If there is no food, the lion will move on.” There are several nonlethal ways to approach the issue, she said. Hazing can be used if an animal is sighted,” Ms. Rodrigues said. “We have animal control officers who use pepper-spray bullets that have non-lethal irritating substances that could cause a slight pain, but it scares the animals. They learn from the experience to not come back to where they got shot.” According to the Department of Fish and Game website, from 1890 to 2007, 17 mountain lion attacks on humans in California have been verified. Six were fatal. The Animal Rescue Team will be hosting an “Education Day for Mountain Lions” on March 4 in Solvang. “We will be teaching the community how to react if you encounter a wild animal, non-lethal techniques and how to co-exist with these animals,” Ms. Di Sieno said. “We highly encourage the community to attend and learn from our professionals.” The location of the workshop is to be announced. For more information, go to: www.animalrescueteam.net e-mail: news@newspress.com
Mountain Lion Suspected in Goleta Livestock Deaths CATHERINE SHEN, NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT February 10, 2011 5:44 AM A kill order has been issued for a bobcat or mountain lion that may have destroyed livestock at a Goleta home on Monday. The animal, according to an e-mail sent out by a local resident as a warning to the community, took several chickens and a pet pig from a Winchester Canyon property on lower Vereda del Ciervo. Fearing the animal may pose a serious threat to the family and the surrounding areas, the Department of Fish and Game and an agent from the U.S. Department of Agriculture determined that a bobcat or possibly a mountain lion killed the livestock. Traps have been arranged by a federal trapper. The action has outraged many people in the community who fear the traps could capture innocent wildlife. Some experts don’t believe it is necessary to kill the animal. Amy Rodrigues, outreach coordinator for the Sacramento-based Mountain Lion Foundation, said that many times when a family loses livestock to a mountain lion, the first reaction is revenge. “The idea that ‘I need to kill the animal’ allows them to believe that’s the solution, but it’s not,” said Ms. Rodrigues. “This isn’t going to solve the problem. A lot of times when the assessments are made by the agents, they see the family is upset, then the default solution is to kill it.” She said lions are territorial and killing one will only open the landscape for more animals to move in. “It’s like opening up real estate,” Ms. Rodrigues said. “More mountain lions will come through to check out the new habitat and kill each other for it. This will also affect the younger lions as well, who will be looking for free space, and they will most likely go after pets and livestock, at least until they are finished fighting over the open space.” Officials with the Department of Fish and Game did not return telephone calls Wednesday. Julia Di Sieno, executive director of Santa Ynez-based Animal Rescue Team, said her organization will try to persuade the family to reconsider the depredation permit, which allows the predator to be killed. “The sad thing is most of the mountain lions in the area are mothers,” Ms. Di Sieno said. “They are either trying to feed their family or they are currently pregnant because it’s baby season. The animals want nothing to do with us; the lion who got into the coop was probably a mother looking for food to feed her cubs.” Ms. Di Sieno said that the remote north Goleta area is filled with wildlife. “Just last year, we had to deal with a bear that was in the area, but the warden involved at the time felt it wasn’t going to do the community harm so we let it do its thing,” Ms. Di Sieno said. “If people live within a wildlife habitat, you must anticipate the animal’s appearances. You are simply inviting them in if you have livestock.” Adult lions generally avoid people, she said. They also keep the younger lions as well as coyotes away from human population, so if an adult lion is in the area, it is wise to keep it alive, according to the Mountain Lion Foundation. “The best thing to do right now is to remove any attractant, which means bringing any roaming pets indoors at night and covering up garbage cans. Securing pet food and removing any fallen fruit will also help keep ‘lion food’ like raccoons and possums away,” said Ms. Rodrigues. “If there is no food, the lion will move on.” There are several nonlethal ways to approach the issue, she said. Hazing can be used if an animal is sighted,” Ms. Rodrigues said. “We have animal control officers who use pepper-spray bullets that have non-lethal irritating substances that could cause a slight pain, but it scares the animals. They learn from the experience to not come back to where they got shot.” According to the Department of Fish and Game website, from 1890 to 2007, 17 mountain lion attacks on humans in California have been verified. Six were fatal. The Animal Rescue Team will be hosting an “Education Day for Mountain Lions” on March 4 in Solvang. “We will be teaching the community how to react if you encounter a wild animal, non-lethal techniques and how to co-exist with these animals,” Ms. Di Sieno said. “We highly encourage the community to attend and learn from our professionals.” The location of the workshop is to be announced. For more information, go to: www.animalrescueteam.net e-mail: news@newspress.com Mountain Lion Suspected in Goleta Livestock Deaths CATHERINE SHEN, NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT February 10, 2011 5:44 AM A kill order has been issued for a bobcat or mountain lion that may have destroyed livestock at a Goleta home on Monday. The animal, according to an e-mail sent out by a local resident as a warning to the community, took several chickens and a pet pig from a Winchester Canyon property on lower Vereda del Ciervo. Fearing the animal may pose a serious threat to the family and the surrounding areas, the Department of Fish and Game and an agent from the U.S. Department of Agriculture determined that a bobcat or possibly a mountain lion killed the livestock. Traps have been arranged by a federal trapper. The action has outraged many people in the community who fear the traps could capture innocent wildlife. Some experts don’t believe it is necessary to kill the animal. Amy Rodrigues, outreach coordinator for the Sacramento-based Mountain Lion Foundation, said that many times when a family loses livestock to a mountain lion, the first reaction is revenge. “The idea that ‘I need to kill the animal’ allows them to believe that’s the solution, but it’s not,” said Ms. Rodrigues. “This isn’t going to solve the problem. A lot of times when the assessments are made by the agents, they see the family is upset, then the default solution is to kill it.” She said lions are territorial and killing one will only open the landscape for more animals to move in. “It’s like opening up real estate,” Ms. Rodrigues said. “More mountain lions will come through to check out the new habitat and kill each other for it. This will also affect the younger lions as well, who will be looking for free space, and they will most likely go after pets and livestock, at least until they are finished fighting over the open space.” Officials with the Department of Fish and Game did not return telephone calls Wednesday. Julia Di Sieno, executive director of Santa Ynez-based Animal Rescue Team, said her organization will try to persuade the family to reconsider the depredation permit, which allows the predator to be killed. “The sad thing is most of the mountain lions in the area are mothers,” Ms. Di Sieno said. “They are either trying to feed their family or they are currently pregnant because it’s baby season. The animals want nothing to do with us; the lion who got into the coop was probably a mother looking for food to feed her cubs.” Ms. Di Sieno said that the remote north Goleta area is filled with wildlife. “Just last year, we had to deal with a bear that was in the area, but the warden involved at the time felt it wasn’t going to do the community harm so we let it do its thing,” Ms. Di Sieno said. “If people live within a wildlife habitat, you must anticipate the animal’s appearances. You are simply inviting them in if you have livestock.” Adult lions generally avoid people, she said. They also keep the younger lions as well as coyotes away from human population, so if an adult lion is in the area, it is wise to keep it alive, according to the Mountain Lion Foundation. “The best thing to do right now is to remove any attractant, which means bringing any roaming pets indoors at night and covering up garbage cans. Securing pet food and removing any fallen fruit will also help keep ‘lion food’ like raccoons and possums away,” said Ms. Rodrigues. “If there is no food, the lion will move on.” There are several nonlethal ways to approach the issue, she said. Hazing can be used if an animal is sighted,” Ms. Rodrigues said. “We have animal control officers who use pepper-spray bullets that have non-lethal irritating substances that could cause a slight pain, but it scares the animals. They learn from the experience to not come back to where they got shot.” According to the Department of Fish and Game website, from 1890 to 2007, 17 mountain lion attacks on humans in California have been verified. Six were fatal. The Animal Rescue Team will be hosting an “Education Day for Mountain Lions” on March 4 in Solvang. “We will be teaching the community how to react if you encounter a wild animal, non-lethal techniques and how to co-exist with these animals,” Ms. Di Sieno said. “We highly encourage the community to attend and learn from our professionals.” The location of the workshop is to be announced. For more information, go to: www.animalrescueteam.net e-mail: news@newspress.com
Where Are The Cats? Animal Expert Fears Worst For Pair of Mountain Lion Cubs
Santa Barbara News Press April 6, 2009 Julia Di Sieno, executive director of Animal Rescue Team Inc., told the News-Press that the cubs were not taken to the Santa Barbara Zoo, as state Department of Fish and Game officials had apparently promised her.
“This is so unsettling because we do not know where these cubs are,” Ms. Di Sieno said Sunday. “Why didn’t they go to the zoo as promised?”
Ms. Di Sieno fears that the cubs could have been put down by game wardens or released back into the wild—a grave mistake, she said, given the cubs’ condition.
The 3-month-old cats were grossly underfed, weighing in at about 15 and 18 pounds, respectively, according to Ms. Di Sieno. A typical cub of this age should weigh anywhere from 30 to 45 pounds.
“They were emaciated and in need of medical attention,” Ms. Di Sieno said. “One of them was the size of my house cat.”
Ms. Di Sieno and one of her volunteers, Lisa Matheson, cornered and tranquilized the female cubs on Aarhus Drive in Solvang on Friday evening. The cats were taken to the Animal Rescue Team’s facility in Santa Ynez, where they were being cared for by veterinarian Sheri MacVeigh.
Game wardens took custody of the tranquilized cats, stating that Animal Rescue Team was not permitted to house them, according to Ms. Di Sieno. Ms. Di Sieno objected to the proposal, but later relented.
“Once they said they were taking them to the zoo, I was OK with that,” Ms. Di Sieno said. “But I was still concerned that they might not go there.”
That is why Ms. Matheson followed two wardens as they transported the cubs in the flatbed of two pick-up trucks. The wardens allegedly approached Ms. Matheson at the animal control center in Goleta.
“I asked where they were going and (one of the wardens) said they were going to be taken care of, and that had me worried,” Ms. Matheson said. “All they kept saying when I asked what was going to happen to the cats was ‘that’s confidential.”
Representatives from the Santa Barbara Zoo confirmed Sunday that they were approached by officials from Fish and Game about sheltering the cubs, but were unable to receive the young mountain lions.
“Often, though I wouldn’t say regularly, Cal Fish and Game and other agencies bring us animals to see if we can house them,” said Alan Varsik, Santa Barbara Zoo director of animal programs and conservation.
“But in the case of the mountain lions, we have to make sure that we have the appropriate habitat and resources for the species and we do not have them at this time,” he said.
Fish and Game representatives did not return repeated calls for comment.
Ms. Di Sieno said she has a few ideas about where the cubs can be cared for, including the Exotic Feline Breeding Compound, located in Rosemont, CA.
“I have had a long standing relationship with Joe Maynard, the executive director of the compound,” she said.
“He offered to take the cats Friday night and his offer still stands.”
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POACHING CONTINUES IN RANCHO YNECITA
By Staff Report
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About 20 deer have been poached in the last two months in the gated community of Rancho Ynecita in Santa Ynez. According to a news release from Animal Rescue Team Executive Director Julia Di Sieno, most were shot with a 22 caliber firearm “to keep the noise down.”
On Sunday, a nursing doe bled to death after she was shot with an Easton Legacy long bow. Some property owners in the area have posted no hunting and no trespassing signs, according to the press release.
One neighbor from the general area said she has noticed poaching off and on in the rural area for several years. Animal Rescue Team is offering a $1,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of the suspects.
— Staff Report
This doe was found on a 20-acre property on Canada Este Road. The arrow in its hip area caused the doe to bleed to death. – Courtesy photos
The arrow used to kill the doe is an Easton Legacy 2016 #50-55 long bow and has yellow and green fletching with a muzzy 100 broad head.
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