Indiana: When a skunk wandered into the yard of a fraternity house, Indiana University student Andrew Baldini, 18, decided to get a shovel, chase it down and beat the little animal to death

INDIANA -- Police arrested an Indiana University student after he allegedly hit a skunk several times with a shovel, killing it.

Andrew L. Baldini, 18, of Carmel, Indiana, was arrested Friday on a charge of animal torture/cruelty.

Police say he beat a skunk to death with a shovel while at a fraternity house near the 1200 block of East 3rd Street.

According to coed.com, the skunk - which don't have the best vision to begin with - interrupted an intramural basketball game between fraternity members.

The animal wandered across the court and caught the eye of 18-year-old Andrew Baldini. Police say that he picked up a shovel and whacked the skunk, causing the poor animal to limp off in an injured state.

Baldini then followed the little animal, already injured, onto a public sidewalk on East 3rd Street (right in front of TIS College Bookstore) "with intent to kill". He beat the skunk repeatedly with the shovel until it finally died.

Witnesses who were horrified by what they saw, called police.

In trying to excuse what Baldini did, fraternity members said the house has been having trouble with skunks around the property.

"But this frat boy didn’t get away with this disturbing act of violence. He was cuffed and wheeled away by police officers, who would charge this collegiate criminal with felony animal cruelty charges. I’m sure he won’t feel like such an alpha male in a prison cell. He’ll most likely encounter much larger predators in the big house and may feel just as vulnerable as that skunk.

The median household income in 2010 for Carmel, Indiana, was
$101,494. Compare that to the median household income in 2010
for the United States, which was just $49.445. Baldini played
Lacrosse in high school. How many high schools offer
Lacrosse as a sport? This tells you a lot about Andrew Baldini.

"He could have just called Bloomington’s pest control to take care of that potentially stinky intruder but instead, he now faces a prison sentence. Maybe this can serve as a lesson for Mr. Baldini. Maybe this felony charge can show him the significance of snuffing out a beating heart, no matter how small."

 

(WTTV - Nov 1, 2016)

Colorado: Firefighters rescue little skunk whose head was trapped in a dumpster

COLORADO -- Cimarron Hills Firefighters responded to a citizen report of a skunk with its head caught in the drain hole of an apartment complex dumpster.

 

 

A firefighter kept the critter calm by talking/reading to him while other firefighters worked to ultimately cut him free.

The rescue lasted approximately 45 minutes before the skunk, dubbed "Oliver" waddled off.

 

 

(Cimarron Hills Fire Department - Aug 23, 2016)

Michigan: Police rescue skunk with head stuck in yogurt cup

MICHIGAN -- State police responded to an odd and potentially smelly dispatch in Royal Oak Township Thursday.

The powerful, musky stench of skunk spray filled the air as the relieved critter and a brave state trooper parted ways about 8 a.m.

Minutes earlier, state troopers arrived to the scene on the 21000 block of Glen Oak Lodge to discover the odious and terrified animal "running around in circles spraying everything" with its head stuck in an empty yogurt cup.

State troopers called animal control for assistance, but were told the agency doesn't handle wild skunk rescues.

Troopers "decided to risk the possible tomato juice bath and get the cup off the skunk's head on their own," police said in a statement.

"While one trooper used a wooden pole to guide the skunk in a certain direction and distracting the skunk, a second trooper (and the fastest) ran up and gently grabbed the cup, freeing the skunk. The skunk took a quick look around, nodded in appreciation and left the area.

" ... The Michigan State Police continues to provide service with a purpose to all members of the community, human or animal."

Skunk spray is ejected from the animal's anal scent gland as a defense mechanism to ward off predators.

(MLive - Aug 4, 2016)

Indiana: Four skunks rescued from tire rim

INDIANA -- Wayne County, Ind. animal control responded to Applebee’s on National Road East in Richmond just after 11 p.m. Thursday, June 23 on a report of four skunks stuck in a tire.

An off-duty Wayne County sheriff’s officer was leaving Richmond’s Applebee’s when he noticed four skunks with their heads stuck in the rim of his tire, according to Chief Deputy Mike Frame.

Frame said four young skunks were hiding between the brake drum and wheel.

County animal control officer Doug Bullock was called to the scene. Frame said he was sprayed by the skunks.

The skunks were freed and were removed safely from the area, Frame said.

(WHIO - June 24, 2016)

New York: 400 Birds, Turtles, Chinchillas Seized From NY Home belonging to Gary Gruber

NEW YORK -- Approximately 400 animals, mostly birds and turtles, were seized from a home Tuesday in what is being called Nassau County's largest animal seizure.

Nassau County SPCA spokesman Gary Rogers said officers with the Animal Crime Unit executed a search warrant at the home on Ocean Avenue in Bellmore Tuesday morning and found the animals living in unsanitary conditions.

The raid came after a neighbor complained numerous times about the noise and smell from the home.

The family shared the house with more than 250 birds, many of them beautiful, most of them exotic, and all of them loud.

"It sounded like the Amazon," a neighbor said.

"Oh, yeah. You can't help but know. You walk by and hear the birds," said Jackie Cornman, a neighbor.

"This is the illegal one. That's an illegal Asian Water Monitor," an animal expert said.

 

Birds were just the beginning. The owner had 151 reptiles, mostly turtles, like an alligator snapping turtle. He also had chinchilla's, prairie dogs, a skunk, and a few sugar gliders.

Nathan DeCorpo, a lawyer for homeowner Gary Gruber [wants us to believe that] his client "is a conservationist who rehabilitates animals". But the SPCA disagrees.

"We're going to be here for a long time today. It was animals living in filthy [slimy] water, they didn't have proper food and water, and they were living without a healthy supply of healthy fresh air. It was very unsanitary in there," said Gary Rogers, SPCA Spokesman. "It’s a condition that you wouldn’t want to live in and we have a responsibility not to leave the animals there either.”

Workers wore Tyvek suits and some had air filtration systems because the smell was so pungent.

"It's horrible for the animals. The animals couldn't have fared well, and you saw, the animals that are coming out, there's nine birds in a cage, that's cruelty and those animals are beautiful," Cornman said.

 

It’s not the first time animal rescuers visited Gruber.

Nearly a year ago, they removed an alligator he owned. In a deal back then, Gruber was told to clean up his home [in exchange for criminal charges not being filed against him] but he failed to meet the deadline. The investigation is continuing.

(WABC- June 21, 2016)

California: Petaluma animal-control officer comes to the rescue of skunk stuck in peanut butter jar

CALIFORNIA -- Put yourself in Mark Scott’s shoes.

The Petaluma animal-control officer arrived on fairly rural Eddie Court, near Cypress Hill cemetery, to answer a call for help Tuesday morning.

Scott arrived in the reporting family’s backyard to find a skunk with its head stuck in a peanut-butter jar. What to do?

When dealing with a distressed skunk, one hopes most to maintain a safe distance. But no bright idea for dislodging the Trader Joe’s PB jar remotely came to Officer Scott, for good reason a south county hero.

 

“There’s only so many options you have,” he said.

Moving slowly so as to not alarm the skunk and risk triggering an objectionable response from the end of the animal not in a jar, he approached cautiously, quietly.

Then he plucked off the jar and ran like a man of straw from a firestorm.

(Press Democrat - Feb 18, 2016)

Texas: Animal control officer rescues skunk which got its head stuck in a dumpster

TEXAS -- An animal control offer managed to save a skunk in Freeport that had gotten into a sticky situation.

The Freeport Police Department posted photos of the skunk that got its head stuck in a dumpster. Animal control was called and the animal control officer managed to free the little guy without hurting it or herself.

 

She also managed to avoid getting sprayed while bringing the skunk to freedom.

(ABC13 - Jan 13, 2016)

Arizona: Flagstaff Police Department rescues skunk with yogurt container stuck on its head

ARIZONA -- Originally posted on the Flagstaff Police Department's Facebook page, the Animal Defense League of Arizona reposted the video with the comments:

"Thanks to officers with Flagstaff Police Department for saving this skunk's life. It's apparent that all lives matter to these police officers!"

(Flagstaff Police Department - September 16, 2015)

Animal Control Officer Daniel Morrow Allegedly Leaves Dead Skunk In Man's Mailbox

KENTUCKY -- A Wayne County Animal Control Officer is charged with allegedly leaving a dead skunk inside of a man's mailbox.

The deputy jailer, whose mailbox the skunk was placed in, had a small camera on his garage, allowing him to see the entire incident on tape.

According to court documents, Wayne County Animal Control Officer Daniel Morrow, was on the job when he left a maggot-covered, dead skunk in the deputy jailer's mailbox. He was assisted by inmate Rodney Durham, who was in a work program.

The documents say that at some point, while driving the animal control truck, they stopped and picked up the dead skunk from the side of the road, and then left it in the deputy jailer's mailbox.

Morrow has been charged with official misconduct and criminal mischief. Durham was charged with criminal mischief.

According to the Wayne County Judge Executive, Morrow is no longer an employee with the animal control office.

The deputy jailer declined to speak to LEX 18 on camera about the incident.

Both Durham and Morrow are expected to be in court September 21. 

(Lex18 - Aug 24, 2015)

Cynthia Casas complains that it's not her fault that a poor skunk cooked to death in her humane trap. After all, she didn't want to "be covered in fleas and maybe sprayed"

CALIFORNIA -- A San Dimas woman is shocked to find out she’s being charged with animal cruelty after she trapped a skunk — she was told to trap.

Cynthia Casas told KCAL9’s Crystal Cruz she first saw the skunk roaming around her back yard through a window.

 

Later, she saw the skunk in a trap left by her husband.

“I never walked over. I never came outside,” she said.

Casas says she stayed inside with her son and doesn’t go in the backyard over a concern about fleas.

“Nobody is allowed to come out here until we get rid of the skunks and the fleas,” she said.

Why did she take the reporter in the backyard if no one is allowed
in the backyard because of the multitude of fleas and skunks??

The Humane Society was called and Cynthia went on to nurse her son.

“Skunks are adorable,” Casas said, “I mean if you’ve seen their faces they’re super cute but for me to make the choice and go and be covered in fleas and maybe sprayed and come into my baby, for me I can’t do something like that.”

The Humane Society officer told Casas the skunk was dead. A necropsy was performed to confirm cause of death and to Cynthia’s surprise she was charged with crimes against animals.

“She made it out like she came and caught me doing something malicious to an animal,” Casas said.

The Humane Society claimed Casas failed to check the trap and say they told her to cover it and place it in a shaded area because it was 90 degrees outside. Cynthia says she was never told any of this.

“How could this happen? We’re trying to do the right thing. They’re trying to make it out that we’re these bad people,” Casas said.

Cases has a court date set for September. She could face a year in jail and $20,000 dollars in fines.
The Inland Valley Humane Society claims they have a 100 percent conviction rate.

(CBS Local - Aug 23, 2015)

Earlier:

• Cynthia Luise Casas charged with animal cruelty after leaving trapped skunk to die

Cynthia Luise Casas charged with animal cruelty after leaving trapped skunk to die

CALIFORNIA -- A San Dimas woman has been accused of animal cruelty after a skunk she trapped died while in captivity, the Inland Valley Humane Society and SPCA reported last week.

Cynthia Luise Casas, 38, has been charged with cruelty to animals and is expected to be in court Sept. 22, according to a statement from the Humane Society. If convicted, Casas faces penalties of up to a year in jail and up to $20,000 in fines.

The charge stems from a June 17 incident at the woman’s home in the 400 block of West Second Street.

A Humane Society officer went to Casas’ home after receiving a request to relocate a skunk that was caught with a trap, the statement said.

Humane Officer Faviola Leon, who is also a wildlife expert, arrived at the location shortly after and found the skunk dead.

The trapped skunk was allegedly left in direct sunlight going against the Humane Society officer’s instructions, the statement said.

The officer had told Casas to cover the trap with a towel and to move it to a shaded area.

  

However, Cases allegedly failed to check the trap or place it in the shade on a day when the temperature reached 91 degrees, the statement said.

“Ms. Casas explained she did not want to attempt to make the animal comfortable out of fear that the skunk had fleas,” according to the statement.

A necropsy was completed and showed the skunk died as a result of being in the heat, investigator Sylvia Lemus said.

(Inland Valley Daily Bulletin - Aug 21, 2015)

Trapped skunk in Ruidoso may have been buried alive; Animal Control officer displays his ignorance

NEW MEXICO -- A Ruidoso resident has raised questions in regards to animal cruelty when a local property developer chose to fill in a sink hole the resident believes had a skunk trapped inside.

Meredith Wilder, who lives in the Upper Canyon area, had a sink hole next to her condo. The hole was on shared property in the area, she said.

On Sept. 24 Wilder's neighbor had fallen into the hole, which was 10 to 12 feet deep, she said. The neighbor had caught himself by putting his arms out before he fell to the bottom.

A backhoe collapses a sink hole beside an Upper Canyon residence
where the resident believes a live skunk was trapped. (Courtesy photo)

 

When a man with a backhoe showed up on Sept. 30 to fill the hole in, Wilder was concerned about a skunk that had been seen in the bottom of the hole, both by herself the same day and by someone else several days earlier, so she called animal control.

Wilder said the animal control officer and several policemen showed up. A state environmental officer also was there. The environmental officer said the hole was a hazard and had to be filled in immediately. But Wilder said she feels the animal could have been removed first and police and animal control personnel were unwilling to listen to her concerns.

"They gave the man permission and he proceeded to crush the animal right in front of my home," she said. "Not only did they kill that animal needlessly, but they left the hole with the ground still unstable."

Wilder said she believes it is inhumane and illegal to bludgeon or bury a living animal, according to Animal Protection of New Mexico.

Ruidoso Police Department Chief Joe Mcgill said, according to the animal control officer, the property representative called an excavation company to assess the hole and the company determined it had to be addressed immediately.

"The safety officer declared an emergency hazard," McGill said. "The animal control officer agreed with the assessment."

Meredith Wilder points out the location of a sink hole near her home
where she feels a live skunk was buried alive when a contractor filled it.
 (Elva K. Österreich — Ruidoso News)

McGill said the skunk had been there for five days and it had been determined the hole extended back under the ground toward the house.

"The skunk probably had a means to get in and out," he said. "Whether it is alive or dead is unknown. The backhoe operator filled in the hole based on the environmental officer's recommendation."

He said the animal control officer felt it would have been a dangerous situation for anyone to try and rescue the skunk.

Animal control officer Robert Simpson's report states skunks are not protected by local ordinance and are considered a nuisance animal.

"There was no malice or intent to do any harm to the skunk," Simpson said in the report.






Officer Simpson is either #1 a complete moron who doesn't know the laws he'd paid to uphold and enforce or #2 a lazy and/or uncaring person who knows the law but thinks skunks "don't matter" or #3 he's ignorant of the laws he's paid to uphold/enforce AND he doesn't care about animals. My money's on NUMBER THREE. Officer Simpson should take a moment to read the New Mexico law regarding animal cruelty:

§ 30-18-1. Cruelty to animals; extreme cruelty to animals; penalties; exceptions 
A. As used in this section, "animal" does not include insects or reptiles.
B. Cruelty to animals consists of a person:
(1) negligently mistreating, injuring, killing without lawful justification or tormenting an animal; or
(2) abandoning or failing to provide necessary sustenance to an animal under that person's custody or control.
C. As used in Subsection B of this section, "lawful justification" means:
(1) humanely destroying a sick or injured animal; or
(2) protecting a person or animal from death or injury due to an attack by another animal.
D. Whoever commits cruelty to animals is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be sentenced pursuant to the provisions of Section 31-19-1 NMSA 1978. Upon a fourth or subsequent conviction for committing cruelty to animals, the offender is guilty of a fourth degree felony and shall be sentenced pursuant to the provisions of Section 31-18-15 NMSA 1978.
(Ruidoso News - Oct 7, 2014)

Raccoons, Skunks For Sale End With Arrests

INDIANA --  A Moores Hill couple is facing charges for illegally selling raccoons, skunks and fish out of their home.

This past June, Indiana Conservation Officers learned of the wild animal sales by Rachael Blankenship, 18, and Jason Miller, 27.

Serving a search warrant at the couple’s home at a mobile home park along State Road 350 in Moores Hill on July 1, conservation officers found four wild skunks and two wild raccoons. They also observed a large aquarium containing several black bass that had been caught out of Hogan Creek, however, the fish were smaller than the 12-inch requirement to keep.

“Blankenship also admitted that she sold three of the skunks for $10 each to (a conservation officer by email),” investigators stated in a court affidavit.

Blankenship had also showed the conservation officers the baby bottle she used to feed the juvenile wild animals. She allegedly showed the officers a recipe that she had found on the internet for bottle feeding the animals.

The animals were seized and turned over to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.

Officers say they also found various pills and paraphernalia including a glass marijuana pipe during the home search. Two small children were in the home at the time, according to the affidavit.

Miller is charged with Possession of Skunk (Class C misdemeanor), Possession of Raccoon (Class C misdemeanor), Possession of Black Bass (Class C misdemeanor), Illegal Sale of Wildlife (Class C misdemeanor), Possession of a Controlled Substance (Level 6 felony), Possession of a Legend Drug (Level 6 felony), Possession of Paraphernalia (Class A misdemeanor), and Taking Juvenile to Location Used for Drug Sale, Manufacture, or Possession (Class A misdemeanor).

Blankenship faces charges including Possession of Skunk (Class C misdemeanor), Possession of Raccoon (Class C misdemeanor), Illegal Sale of Wildlife (Class C misdemeanor), Possession of Paraphernalia (Class A misdemeanor), and Taking Juvenile to Location Used for Drug Sale, Manufacture, or Possession (Class A misdemeanor).

They were each arrested Monday and remain held in the Dearborn County Law Enforcement Center.

(Eagle Country Online - August 27, 2014)

Animal control saves Oxford skunk from beer can

MISSOURI -- Oxford police had to deal with someone who was "drunk as a skunk" near the Miami University campus early Sunday, but it wasn't the usual suspect.

Police said that officers were called to the former Beta Theta Pi house where they found a skunk wandering around with a Miller Lite can stuck on its head.

The officers called animal control, and the animal control officer was able to get the can off the skunk without getting sprayed, police said.

(WLWT Cincinnati - Sept 15, 2014)

Deadly rabid skunk walked into local woman’s life

OKLAHOMA -- Although the rabies virus has continued to diminish in the years after medical science devised treatments and preventative vaccines for livestock and pets were created, it is important to stay vigilant with this deadly virus.

This sentiment was echoed by a CreekCounty resident living just outside of Mannford this June.

“I have learned a lot, but the most important thing I’ve learned is that a fence or a weapon will not protect your pets from rabies, only a rabies vaccination will,” said Leslie Ward whose dog bit and killed a rabid skunk on her property.

The time was 8:00 a.m. and the place was a semi-rural residential area just outside the town of Mannford.

Ward, having been in her garden, was heading back to her home. She spotted the skunk that was being trailed by her cats just three-feet-in-trail behind the smelly distinctively marked black and white fur of the normally nocturnal creature.

Ward said the skunk went towards her dog in the yard and both of her two dogs, a chocolate Labrador named Charlie and a mixed terrier going by the name of Luke, rose up to head the skunk off at the pass.

“The skunk acted like it wanted to get inside, it was very determined in spite of the dogs barking and acting very aggressive. It never sprayed (the stink on) the dogs,” aid Ward said recounting the incident.

Ward then yelled for help and her ex-husband went to procure a weapon to get rid of the pest.

By the time they both got back out, the skunk had met its maker after the dog(s) had drug it under the fence. It took just five minutes for one or both dogs working in tandem to attack the skunk and kill it.

[Five minutes is an eternity when you're been mauled and ripped apart. Ugh.]

Ward tried calling for animal control, but to no avail. After consulting her veternarian she was advised to put the skunk carcass on ice.

With a neighbor’s help she discover that they needed the skunk head intact to be able to determine if the offending animal was infected with rabies as indicated by its strange behavior when confronted by cats, human and dogs.

Ward contacted a epidemiologist for answers.

Laurence Bunsed, MPH, returned Ward’s call and provided the information she needed to ease her mind.

Bunsed said rabies is found in the brain, spinal fluid and saliva of an infected mammal. Burnsed further explained that if any of those fluids came in contact with her dogs by the canines biting the skunk the dogs could be infected with the rabies virus.

Ward transported the iced skunk head to the Department of Health in Oklahoma City and their testing came back as positive for rabies.

“Fortunately all of my pet’s vaccinations are current and my vet confirmed it with Dr. Burnsed,” said Ward.

Burnsed that if the dogs had not been up to date with their anti-rabies shots, the animals would have been put into quarantine for 6 months observation or euthenized.

Ward’s two dogs were given rabies boosters and she was further cautioned to keep a watchful eye on the behaviors exhibited by Charlie and Luke. She was told to keenly observe to look for any abnormal behavior even to the point of watching the dogs normal aggression pattern suddenly switched to calm.

Burnsed and Ward want their Oklahoma neighbors and friends to be fully aware of this deadly virus with a potential to walk right into a resident’s back yard.

According to the Oklahoma State Department of Health, rabies attacks the nervous system of humans and other warm-blooded mammals. The virus is almost always 100 percent fatal once symptoms of the disease become apparent.

If someone has been bitten by an animal they should:

•Wash the wound with soap and water for ten minutes.
•Immediately contact a healthcare provider, animal bites routinely contain harmful bacteria so antibiotics or a tetanus booster may be needed.
•Try and catch the animal safely. If possible call animal control or local law enforcement to help.
•Contact the local health department to report the circumstances of the bite or scratch. They can help confirm the animal’s rabies status.
•Lastly call the Acute Disease Service Epidermiologist-on-call at 405-271-4060.

The time period between contracting the disease and the start of symptoms is usually one to three months; however it can vary from less than one week to more than one year.

Early symptoms may include fever and tingling at the site of exposure. Soon followed by either violent movements, uncontrolled excitement, and fear of water (hydrophobia) or an inability to move parts of the body and confusion, lastly followed by loss of consciousness.

The disease is spread to humans from mammals, commonly by a bite or scratch. Infected saliva that comes into contact with any mucous membrane is also a risk. Worldwide most human rabies cases are the result of a dog bite. In theUSA, less than 5 percent of rabies transmission cases are from dogs. Flying bats being the most common cause in America.

Rodents (rats and mice, squirrels and rabbits) are very rarely infected with the virus and even more rarely transmit the disease to a human being.

(Sapula Herald - July 18, 2014)

Campus killings: 'It started with skunks, went to raccoons, and now cats'

CALIFORNIA -- A school worker is being investigated for allegedly killing cats, but a month after his arrest, no charges have been filed.

The Kern County District Attorney's Office said the case is still being investigated. Meanwhile, other school employees also allege wild animals have been killed by staff for years.

"I just hope that things get taken care of, and they start doing things the way they're supposed to," Tehachapi Unified School District custodian Kris Harding told Eyewitness News. She got wind of cats being killed and contacted Kern County Animal Services.

Harding said cats hang out around the high school cafeteria, and some people had wondered if they could trap the animals and take them home. So, she started asking questions about the cats.

"And, then I had a (school district) maintenance worker come to me, reveal to me that they were being killed," Harding said. "I asked how, and they told me they were putting them in a box and using carbon monoxide and killing them."

Harding said she called Animal Control. An officer asked her to get photos of that box, and then Robert Hutton was arrested in the case.

Eyewitness News obtained a statement from the office of Kern County Counsel confirming Hutton was arrested on March 31 at the Monroe High School campus for three felony animal cruelty charges.

"Mr. Hutton was placed under arrest after informing an Animal Control Officer that he had captured three cats in a trap, placed them each in a constructed chamber, and euthanized them using a carbon dioxide canister," according to the statement.

Hutton is not in custody.

An Animal Services officer said on Thursday his office is currently working with the district attorney's investigation of the case, but "we're not getting a lot of cooperation from witnesses," he told Eyewitness News.

On Wednesday, Kern County Deputy District Attorney Ron Taylor said he is still looking into the allegations and reviewing information from law enforcement. He said no decision's been made yet on filing charges against Hutton.

"We want to do the right thing, and do it well," Taylor said.

Asked why the investigation has now gone on for about a month, he said some complex cases take longer to get the necessary information and evaluate it.

Meanwhile, other current and former Tehachapi school district employees say maintenance workers have also killed wild animals for a number of years. A man who used to work in maintenance told Eyewitness News skunks and raccoons would be trapped and then drowned in 55-gallon drums of water.

That former worker said the animals had turned up around various school campus grounds. That man said he was told to dispose of animals that way, but refused to. He called it a "sad subject."

A current district employee, who didn't want to be identified, said he saw Hutton about two years ago with a raccoon in a live animal trap, with a tarp draped over it. This worker said a pipe had been attached to a truck's exhaust and run into the cage.

"I was really kind of upset about it, so I jerked the cage out from under the conduit and told him, 'This is animal cruelty, you can't do this to a raccoon,'" that worker said. The man said he took the animal up into the mountains and released it.

This man also said Hutton killed 21 skunks in one year.

"He bragged about it," that worker said.

Eyewitness News called Hutton and left a message. He has not returned the call.

Putting in calls to the Tehachapi Unified School District, Eyewitness News was referred to the school board president as the only one to make comments. Mary Graham said the school board has also launched an investigation, and she's expecting the results in about three weeks.

"We're trying to follow the process," Graham said on Wednesday. She said Hutton is now on administrative leave.

"That's good news, I'm glad they have an investigation going," Tehachapi resident and former teacher Susie Ormsby said. She insists the school district probe should be independent. She wants everyone involved to be held accountable.

"We have to insist that charges are not dropped," Ormsby added, regarding the criminal investigation of Hutton.

"We really didn't expect somebody to be arrested, we were just trying to get people not to do this anymore," said the current district employee who wants to remain anonymous. But, he thinks at least 10 cats may have been killed and worries about past practices.

"I think it's tragic that we've let it go on this far," he said. "It started with skunks, went to raccoons, and now cats."

Kern County Animal Services officers say cats often show up at school campuses, especially near cafeterias. The officer explained the law gives everybody the right to trap an animal on their property, but it's then their responsibility to take it to a shelter. He said many local school districts do that.

He added that animal control will not pick up cats, unless they're sick or injured.

"I'd like to see the (school) district follow the law, I mean there's a right and wrong way to do things," Kris Harding said.

As the one who first alerted Animal Control, she believes work is being done to get all the facts on the case so authorities can decide about any charges against Hutton. She said it was the right thing to come forward with the information.

"The more I think about it, the more disgusted I become," Harding said. "Because I think it's very inhumane the way he did it."

(Bakersfield now - May 2, 2014)

Don't call Stratford Animal Control if you want a humane response

CONNECTICUT -- To the Editor:

I am disgusted and saddened with what I witnessed on the morning of Tuesday, March 25. Unless I’m naive, but can someone please explain to me, that when dealing with an obviously injured animal, specifically a skunk, why the Stratford Animal Control called backup to bring along a rifle and kill it?

It was a cowardly act and bullying tactic to do that to a probably terrified animal. The skunk showed no outwardly signs of rabies, foaming at the mouth, hissing and wasn’t spraying when approached. It only had trouble walking and could’ve been checked first for a broken leg. This animal had made residence in my backyard where I had seen it wandering for months.

But during the late morning, I was monitoring it roaming about my yard making sure that it was surely injured. Regrettably my hesitation made the difference in time. After the skunk struggled to cross the street, it allowed a thoughtless and clueless neighbor to call the town, which in turn brought a gunslinger police officer to destroy a defenseless animal.

I didn’t have the heart to watch, but heard the two shots from my property. And was it necessary or even safe to kill the skunk in the front yard of a home where small children reside? Certainly this wasn’t a show dog, but it was created from nature and deserved a much kinder, humane treatment, instead of an Old Yeller ending.

And to you, mayor, shame on you, for allowing this cruel procedure. If there isn’t one in place, you should hire an actual veterinarian that can make on-the-scene health determinations, instead of allowing your employees to show absolutely no common sense and compassion for another living creature.

And I regret not calling a private “humane” service and pay out of my pocket to compassionately care for the animal. So, to that innocent creature, I apologize to you for not doing much more on your behalf.

Jennifer Lewshin

(Stradford Star - April 3, 2014)

Animal Control fail: Refuses to pick up rabid skunk

VIRGINIA -- An 81-year-old woman is upset at animal control for their response to a rabid skunk attack at her home.

Joice Davis pulled into her Buckley Hall Road driveway last Tuesday and noticed the cows were acting funny.

“I watched them for a minute, then I saw this thing running around, chasing the cows, one after the other,” Davis said.

 

She saw the skunk biting at the cows’ hooves. And being a country girl, it didn’t take Davis long to realize the skunk was rabid. She stayed in her van and called animal control for help. It was after normal business hours, so the officer wasn’t in, but a dispatcher promised to contact him.

In the meantime, Davis called her nephew, who showed up with his gun and waited for the right moment.

“The bull, who is the biggest one out there, he decided he’d get away from it all and took off toward the barn,” said Davis. “So he took off and here comes the little skunk pursuing him.”

Her nephew took the opportunity and shot the rabid animal dead.

“But there it lay, so I called the dispatcher back and told him we killed the animal,” Davis said.
But no one ever came.

WAVY.com asked animal control why an officer did not respond. Officer Jean Roberts said the animal was killed 12 minutes after Davis made the first call for help. Roberts said the on-call officer did not continue to the scene since the threat was over.

The dispatcher told Davis to put the skunk in a plastic bag and bring it to the health department.

“That’s when I said, ‘I’m 81-years-old. I’m not going in that pasture to pick up the dead animal,” Davis said. “And I don’t know I even could.”

The health department, which tests animals suspected of carrying rabies, didn’t come until the next day.

“It didn’t seem to bother anybody that the thing was there and it could have been a danger to anyone that got near it,” Davis said.

Animal control tells us the health department could have been there sooner, if dispatch had called the right ‘after hours’ phone number. In reviewing this case, animal control found the number was outdated. They have since corrected the problem.

(WAVY - April 2, 2014)

Massachusetts: Worcester man, Dennis Duval, 77, charged with animal cruelty in leg-hold trapping of skunk

MASSACHUSETTS -- A city man has been charged with animal cruelty for allegedly setting an illegal trap in his yard that caused a skunk to die an agonizing death, according to MSPCA-Angell's Law Enforcement Department.

Dennis Duval, 77, of 188 Sunderland Road is to be arraigned next month in Central District Court.

Worcester Animal Control Officer Patrick Cherry found the young male skunk alive but gravely wounded on Aug. 15. A neighbor had called authorities to report that a skunk was caught in a trap, according to a statement of facts by Officer Cherry on file in court.

The animal had tried to chew its front leg off after being caught in the trap, according to an MSPCA-Angell news release. Mr. Cherry took the wild skunk to a local veterinarian, who euthanized it.

MSPCA Law Enforcement Sgt. Peter Oberton was notified and reviewed the trap and photographs of the animal's injuries, the release said.

"This skunk endured unspeakable suffering once its leg became ensnared by the trap," said Sgt. Oberton. "The pain of having its leg crushed by the trap was compounded by the fear he would have felt, which forced him to try to chew his own leg off in order to survive."

Officer Cherry said leg-hold traps, which snap shut on an animal's leg without killing it, have been illegal in Massachusetts for more than a decade.

"The trap's steel jaws snap so quickly that there is no possibility of escape — and skin, bone and connective tissue are often immediately shattered," the organization said in the release. "The inherent cruelty of leg-hold traps prompted Massachusetts voters to ban them in 1996, making use of the trap a felony charge."

The maximum penalty is five years in prison and a $2,500 fine.

MSPCA-Angell said the Worcester case comes as five pro-trapping bills are being considered by lawmakers.

(The Telegram - Sept 10, 2013)

Pepe Le Phew: Officers free skunk with head caught in mason jar

NEW JERSEY -- Some police responses are hectic, involved, complex. Others are a bit more ... black and white.

Yeah, we know. That joke really stinks.

Officers Alfred Keiser and Michael Ruggier responded to a North Beverwyck Road home with a Parsippany animal control officer Sunday to find a skunk with its head in a mason-style jar, Parsippany police said in a news release.

Hero officers saved this poor little guy

The officers tried to pull the jar off of the skunk's head, but that didn't work, police said. So while the animal control held onto the skunk's body, Keisler broke the jar with his expandable baton, police said.

The skunk quickly trotted away, unharmed, police said.

The offers were left smelling no worse for the wear, Officer Earl Kinsey said.

(nj.com - August 29, 2013)