Woman Faces Criminal Probe Over Skunk Deaths

County animal control officials Thursday began a criminal investigation of a woman who has battled a skunk infestation at her home by trapping 29 skunks and letting them die in the sun.

Jan Bowers could face misdemeanor or felony charges of inhumane treatment of an animal, said Marie Hulett-Curtner, spokeswoman for the Orange County animal control division. Bowers’ problem and her solution were profiled Thursday in The Times.

“We received 45 calls (Thursday) from people, and all but one was outraged by what this woman has done,” Hulett-Curtner said. “We went to her house today and we found a set metal trap sitting (empty) directly in the sun, but nobody was home.”

Because of the investigation, Bowers said Thursday she will put away her traps. Bowers, who manages a Santa Ana high-rise office building, said she only trapped the skunks because she did not receive city or county help for the problem. She said she has been unable to sleep at night and that her teen-age daughter becomes violently ill because of the skunks’ noxious odor.

“How can this be cruelty to animals?” she said. “I put out the traps, I come home from work and the animals are dead. When I have called the animal control people to pick up the traps, they didn’t come for four or five days and the skunks are dead by then.”

Bowers said she received at least 18 threatening and harassing phone calls Thursday, plus a handful in support. She said she was surprised by the reaction.

“I don’t know how these people got my phone number or my address,” she said. “The calls usually start off: ‘If you’re the one. . .’ ”

She said the calls in support have come from other Yorba Linda homeowners who have taken similar measures after complaining to city and county government for help to no avail.

“I had one man who caught 29 in a week, and (the supporters) said they are all ready to fight this with me,” Bowers said. “We’re going to go to the city and get them to help us relocate the skunks. The people who live up here pay big taxes and we want help.”

County officials, who handle animal complaints for the city, say nothing can be done to eradicate skunks from the area. They said Bowers could alleviate her problem by doing a better job of cleaning up her property. Skunks are attracted by fallen fruit, which is one of their favorite meals.

“There was a lot of rotting fruit in her yard when we went to her house, both from an orange tree on her property plus from the neighboring avocado grove,” Hulett-Curtner said. “That needs to be picked up. It’s like throwing money on the street and getting mad when people stop and pick it up.”

Bowers said she picks up the fallen fruit daily.

The Times also received several calls.

“Everybody I know is angry,” caller Cherie Raborn of Garden Grove said. “Human beings have the idea they are elite beings and are allowed to wipe out other species.”

Marcee Hardy of San Clemente said: “I find it sick that we are trying to wipe out the wildlife before our children can even enjoy it.”

Some callers had suggestions.

Jack Conant of La Palma said electronic devices can be purchased that send out radio waves, making the animals uncomfortable and driving them away.

Kandy Brown of Newport Beach said she didn’t agree with Bowers’ method of killing the animals, but agrees the woman “is stuck between a rock and a hard place.”

“The poor little animal is not doing anyone any harm, but she can’t live with the smell,” Brown said. Her exterminator suggested that mothballs spread in the yard will keep skunks away. “I hope someone can help her.”