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Immigration See other Immigration Articles Title: Farm Animals Invade Los Angeles as `Babe,' `Beauty' Stars Fret Sept. 3 (Bloomberg) -- Dogs and cats living in Los Angeles have plenty of company these days: sheep, chickens, pigs and Brahman cows. As immigrants from Latin America and Asia pour into the city, they often bring farm animals with them. That has led to clashes with animal rights advocates, including Hollywood celebrities, who fret about the creatures' living conditions. And then there are neighbors who raise a stink over barnyard sounds, sights and smells. Local authorities say they seized 1,623 farm animals in the 12 months through June because they were being abused or neighbors complained, which is 45 percent more than in the previous year. One man was charged with cruelty and neglect for keeping 120 barnyard creatures including sheep, goats and cattle, without adequate food, water and space. Advocates are urging the city council to tighten animal regulations. ``When people have farm animals in backyard situations because they care for them, that's great,'' said actor James Cromwell, 68, who earned an Academy Award nomination for his 1995 role as a farmer in the movie ``Babe.'' ``But when they can't afford to keep these animals, or they abuse them or ill-treat them, when they don't understand their needs and sort of abandon these animals, that is horrendous.'' Celebrity Advocates Cromwell, a vegan since his work on the film, supports the farm shelter Animal Acres. So do actresses Daryl Hannah, Thora Birch of the movie ``American Beauty'' and Jorja Fox of TV's ``CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.'' The organization in Acton, California, north of Los Angeles, has taken in about 60 animals from the city this year, including a sheep called Mary found running through Chinatown. How many farm animals live in Los Angeles? No one can say for sure, because ownership permits aren't required, said Lieutenant Troy Boswell of Los Angeles Animal Services. The population is rising, based on the increase in the number of farm animals taken in during the fiscal year through June 30, he said. The 1,623 confiscated by Los Angeles officials compares with 308 seized by New York's Animal Care & Control in the 12 months through August, according to spokesman Richard Gentles. ``We get a lot of calls about roosters,'' Boswell said. ``We also get other calls. Having a potbelly pig, for example, may be acceptable to one person, but to another it may seem dirty.'' Most of the animals were owned by immigrants from Mexico and other Latin American countries, said Animal Control Officer Jose Gonzalez. In 2004, Los Angeles had the largest Hispanic population of any U.S. county, with 4.6 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. ``A lot of people come here, the land of opportunity, and they bring with them their culture,'' said Ed Boks, general manager at Animal Services. ``That may include farm animals.'' Moved to Malibu While some animals in Los Angeles wind up as food for their owners, others have had better luck. Four Barbados sheep rescued during a January raid by the Animal Services department in the city's Sunland area, for instance, have a view of the Pacific Ocean from their new Malibu home. Animal Acres placed them with Marshall Thompson, 60, a freelance video producer, and his wife, Susan Tellem, 63, who runs her own public relations firm. ``They now enjoy million-dollar ocean and canyon views,'' Thompson said. ``Isn't the irony just great?'' Their original owner, Adolfo Malagon, 52, received three years of probation after pleading guilty to the charges of animal cruelty and neglect, said Lieutenant Gil Moreno of the Los Angeles Animal Cruelty Task Force. Reached by phone Aug. 29, Malagon declined to comment. Cultural Differences Along a four-lane street in south Los Angeles, among body and tire shops, chickens scratch in the dirt of a small front yard. Sara Mendoza, 46, immigrated to the city in 1990 from Mexico's Michoacan region. ``My mom grew up with animals,'' said her 17-year-old daughter, Maria. ``Having chickens and roosters is just the most normal thing to her.'' Poultry and other animals can be less appealing for some. ``I'm not a farm boy,'' said Solomon LeFlore, 60, a retired liquor-store owner in south Los Angeles who says his neighbor's roosters wake him in the middle of the night. ``I'm a cancer patient, and I have diabetes. I need my sleep.'' At the moment, farm animals in Los Angeles are regulated through distance requirements. Roosters must be kept in a pen 20 feet (6.1 meters) from their owner's home and 100 feet from a neighbor's. Chickens have to be 35 feet from a neighbor's house, while goats and sheep must be kept 75 feet away. Proposed Restrictions Boswell of Animal Services says he wants to restrict poultry to certain areas of the city, mandate animal ownership permits as New York does, enlarge space requirements and limit numbers. Los Angeles Councilwoman Janice Hahn is working on her own proposal, which would limit each household to one rooster and set up new procedures for dealing with noisy birds. ``There's a mentality among many people toward farm animals that is either neglectful at best or veers into abuse,'' said actress Birch, 26, a vegetarian since age 18. ``Some of this comes about, I think, because it's in the hands of people who don't connect with animals.''
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