Wild Bunch: San Fernando Valley folks and...

Wild Bunch: San Fernando Valley folks and their pets lately have gone paw-to-claw with such creatures as coyotes, a heat-addled boa constrictor and a hungry blue heron. But those are not the wildest examples of humans vs. nature. Dennis Kroeplin has fur-raising stories from a 30-year career in the city Department of Animal Regulation’s North Hollywood office.

Exotica: Kroeplin, the city’s only full-time wildlife officer, has seen longer snakes than the 9-foot West Hills boa constrictor (held by Animal Control officer Mike Pro, above) that devoured a small dog. He has lassoed a cheetah owned by actress Tippi Hedren, lured a Himalayan sun bear into a cage with honey--what else?--and trapped a 5-foot savanna monitor lizard that briefly lived on a tree-lined Woodland Hills street.

Native Sons: The most notorious Valley natives may be skunks. Real estate agents would cringe to hear that Kroeplin rates Woodland Hills the skunkiest spot in L.A. He once trapped nine under one house. At least he fared better than one New York City transplant, who mistook a skunk in her Chatsworth yard for a raccoon and got sprayed while trying to feed it.

False Alarms: Some fauna-phobes who call Kroeplin are all worked up for nothing. He calms people who believe shy possums are “giant mutant rats” and debunks the myth that coyotes kidnap human infants. He invites calls from the curious at (818) 756-8880.