LOS ANGELES — The sounds of lions roaring outside her trailer in Acton lulled Ursula Brauner to sleep.
That was in 1986, and Brauner was a recent graduate from the Exotic Animal Training and Management program at Moorpark College. Her trailer was on the grounds of an animal training facility; her trailer-mates were a baby kangaroo and chimpanzee.
Brauner went to Acton to try to break into the entertainment industry, volunteering her time, as so many others starting out do. But instead of making coffee runs, she was cleaning kennels and rearing baby animals. Brauner said she often found herself finishing her chores early so she could watch her more experienced colleagues as they trained animals, absorbing everything she could.
