Possum Lady Admits She Has Lost But Aims for a Change in the Law

La Mesa’s Possum Lady has decided she can’t win a court battle over whether she can legally take care of young and sick animals in her home, so she and Project Wildlife plan to start collecting signatures and take their case to the voters.

Sally Lambert, also known as the Possum Lady, has been taking care of wild animals--mostly possums--in her La Mesa home on Gregory Street for 11 years. But then her next-door neighbor complained to city officials that the animals smelled bad and were attracting flies.

This week, Lambert decided to abandon her battle with the City of La Mesa, which had sought an injunction to force her to get rid of the animals. “I guess it got to the point where (the lawyer) realized that it would be hard to win--this time around. It’s real hard to fight a whole city,” she said Friday.

Warns of Deaths

Lambert said she would comply with the city’s demand to get rid of the animals but she warned that there will be a price: “There will be a tremendous amount of deaths. You can bet there will be a lot of deaths.”

Because the 43 possums, one fox and several raccoons and squirrels will have to be farmed out to less experienced Project Wildlife volunteers, many of the sick animals won’t make it, Lambert said.

It was last December when Lambert’s longtime neighbors, Bettye and Burl Wynne, complained to the city about the Possum Lady’s animals and the city decided to enforce a zoning ordinance that prohibits having as many wild animals as Lambert was taking care of, according to Lambert.

Until then, Lambert said, she had “never had a complaint . . . In fact, years ago (the Wynnes) used to send food over for the animals.”

“I can’t figure (Bettye Wynne) out. Right now she spends a lot of time staring at the number of animals going in and out,” Lambert said.

Bettye Wynne declined to answer most questions about the possums, saying only, “(Lambert) is a lovely lady and she has been doing a wonderful job but it’s just in the wrong area.”

Wynne’s husband, Burl Wynne, referred all questions to his wife. “I don’t want to get involved in an argument with (Lambert). I don’t want to comment on anything,” he said.

Lambert’s other next door neighbor, Cindy Elder, said the dozens of animals at Lambert’s house have not been a nuisance. She described Lambert as “very hygiene-conscious,” and said there are virtually no obnoxious odors.

“Once in a while you might get wind of something, but it’s no big deal,” she said.

The La Mesa Animal Control Department had taken injured possums to Lambert for years until the city decided to crack down and enforce the law, said animal control officer Maxine Lynch. Since December, the department has had to refer sick possums to Project Wildlife, which tries to find a place for the animals outside the city.

Lynch said she had inspected Lambert’s home many times and Lambert had complied anytime she made any suggestions on how to keep it cleaner or help control flies.

Lambert tried to convince the City Council to amend the zoning laws to allow her to take care of the animals but now, she said, she believes that the best solution is to gather signatures in support of the animals. If she and other volunteers can collect 4,600 signatures within four months, the council will either have to revise the ordinance or call a special election, she said.

City officials have stuck by their decision to prohibit possums in Lambert’s home, even though they were concerned that media coverage might portray them as unsympathetic. “Certainly that’s why the city, the council gave Mrs. Lambert a considerable amount of time to relocate the animals,” said La Mesa City Manager Ron Bradley.

The council gave Lambert 90 days when it first ordered her to comply with the ordinance. There are only 30 days left.