OILDALE, CA - A homeowner in Oildale wants to evict an unwelcome guest. A badger is badgering his family, living under his house for several days.
Valentin Ortiz says he tried calling local and state animal agencies. Animal Control doesn't deal with wild animals.
And, he says Fish and Wildlife agents told him they'd send a trapper. But, that was days ago and Ortiz is left living in fear.
The badger is burrowed deep below Ortiz's garage. But, before he could dig his new home, Ortiz came face to face with it under a wood pile.
"Yeah, that badger is pretty dangerous. It looks at you, and it looks at you real mean like it wants to get you, and I took off running," said Ortiz.
That was Monday. For days, Ortiz has been keeping his grandsons away from that part of the house and warning neighbors to keep their pets inside.
"You know it's been there for three days. I don't know what it has ate in three days, but I imagine that it's hungry," said Ortiz.
"It looked like black and white and stuff, and it was like pretty big. And, I was like standing right there, and I was like whoa," said Ortiz's 12-year-old grandson, Ethan Ortiz.
"Now, I'm just like that thought is always in my head, like where's the badger at," said Ortiz's 18-year-old grandson, Frankie Ortiz.
"You do not want to corner that animal, that's for sure," said CALM Manager, Lana Fain.
Lana Fain with the California Living Museum, says the carnivores, as sweet as they can look, can be vicious and are protected wildlife. She is not surprised one turned up in the Oildale neighborhood next to empty fields.
"I haven't been able to cut my yard or my wife hasn't been able to go back there and do the laundry, you know. So, we've been restricted to all of this area," said Ortiz.
Ortiz says while fish and wildlife officers did come out the first day, they haven't set any traps. But Wednesday afternoon, a volunteer who heard about the bullying badger, came baited with a trap, hopeful to lure the dweller to dinner.
"Like, just take it out and take it somewhere, somewhere far away from here," said Ethan.
"I would like for it to move out of there so I can get on with my life.
I just want it out of here," said Ortiz.
17 News tried calling the Department of Fish and Wildlife, but they had not returned our calls as of Wednesday evening.