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Homeowner Sides With Raccoons After She Says Trapper Removing Animals Was Harsh

MORENO VALLEY (CBSLA.com) — A local homeowner frustrated with raccoons destroying her property is now siding with them after what she caught on video.

"They take the whole plant out. They're looking for the grub and worms," said Leslie Mireles, a Moreno Valley resident who had endured raccoons roaming her backyard.

Mireles called a trapper out of Big Bear hoping the raccoon family of five would be trapped over the weekend and released into the wild.

When the trapper showed up, Mireles wasn't home. But, she says, she was able to watch him on her surveillance cameras through her cellphone.

She says what she saw him do was horrifying.

"He started shaking the cages and then after he got out, he just took them and threw them in the back of the truck with all of his force," Mireles said. "To me, that was so devastating. It crushed me for the rest of the day."

CBS2 has chosen to not name the company which isn't in any trouble so far.

But a spokesperson with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife says their law enforcement team is reviewing the video.

"I told my husband. I said, 'I can't get it out of my mind. I can't shake this feeling that these poor animals. I don't know what he did with them,' " Mireles said.

According to the state, if a licensed trapper is found guilty of abusing an animal, the trapper could lose their license and face fines.

Mireles posted the video online and it's gone viral after receiving 80,000 views.

"He doesn't deserve to be in this kind of work," she said.

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