Local Wildlife - Lost & Found Pets

Beware of Coyotes, Owls and Bobcats!

Coyotes are alive and well in the Hollywood Knolls due to the proximity to Universal Studios and Griffith Park. Frequent sightings occur in our neighborhood on both sides of Barham Boulevard, even during daytime.

Cats and small dogs should not be left unattended in unprotected areas. Even larger animals should not be chained and left defenseless where a pack of coyotes could attack them.

Large owls nest in our neighborhood and also pose a threat to small animals at night. Unprotected cats and small dogs can be at high risk during hours of darkness.

The great horned owl can measure 18 to 25 inches with a wingspread of 52 to 55 inches . This big owl is found almost throughout the Americas. Aggressive and powerful in its hunting (sometimes known by nicknames such as "tiger owl"), it takes prey as varied as rabbits, hawks, snakes, skunks, and will even attack porcupines.

In May of 2004, a resident took this nice photograph of a baby great horned owl who was trying to get into the house through the bedroom window:

The owner's dog and cat were in the room at the time. They made enough noise to wake up the household!

The babies took their first flight on Mother's Day under the watchful eye of their giant mother. They were observed perched in a tree a few days later:

A bobcat was observed in a backyard tree at the corner of Blair Drive and the 3300 block of Troy Drive in June of 2004. Another sighting was reported in January 2005. The adult male was observed coming from Universal around 6:30 pm onto the 3400 block of Blair Drive. 
In February 2005, multiple sightings were reported in the Manor: on Blair Drive in the evening, on the 3400 block of Troy Drive at 10 pm, and on Craig Drive in a backyard at 4 pm. A local animal expert who saw the bobcat in the evening while taking out her trashcans estimates its weight at 30 to 40 pounds. The cat was crossing the street, walking calmly but purposefully, and climbed a hilly garden into her neighbor's backyard.
That same month in the Knolls, a bobcat was observed at 7:15 am in the backyard of a home at the far eastern end of North Knolls Drive. He was creeping along a fence, having come up from the wilderness of Barham Canyon. Another sighting a few days later places a bobcat in Coyote Canyon behind Lake Hollywood Drive.
In late September 2005, a Lake Hollywood resident on Arrowhead Drive observed a female bobcat and two cubs in her backyard.
On December 14, 2005, three bobcats on the shore of Lake Hollywood were observed and photographed by residents.

Bobcats can jump over high fences easily and have a fairly large territory.

Raccoons love to fish in your pond!

Raccoons do live in our neighborhood and several long time residents have given up stocking their pond with fancy fish. Koi sushi is just too pricey a delicacy for the little bandits!
The Water Garden website offers advice to protect your fish from predators. 

Deer

Local children (and adults too...) enjoy looking at the local deer.
Click on the pictures to enlarge.

Lost Pets

To report a lost pet in our neighborhood contact us through this website or through our Email tree. We are happy to report quite a few success stories, from large dogs to a two month old Siamese kitten.

Include your name, address, telephone number (daytime and night), a description of the pet and a digital picture if available. 
If a digital picture is not available, bring a hardcopy for the HKCC Security Committee to the Ramsey-Shilling Realty office at Barham and Lake Hollywood drive (3360 Barham Boulevard).
This information will be shared with our neighborhood through our Email security tree. 

Found Pets

To report a found pet in our neighborhood, contact us through this website or through our Email tree.

In the Email: Include your name, address, telephone number (daytime and night) and a description of the pet. 
This information will be shared with our neighborhood through our Email security tree. 

Taking the Stink out of the Skunk
From Knolls Resident Ken Rentzsch who found this formula in Wildlife Control Technology Magazine

This formula is a safe, fast and cheap skunk deodorant that was developed by chemist Paul Krebaum of Lisle, Illinois. The recipe includes:

Skunk essence is made of sulfur molecules. The materials in the recipe, when mixed together, form an alkaline peroxide that chemically changes the skunk essence into sulfonic acid, a completely odorless chemical. Mix the solution when you are ready to use and do not store.