EDITORIAL : THE L.A. ZOO AND A GROUP OF ENCINO RESIDENTS ARE AT ODDS OVER EUCALYPTUS TREES.

IF Los Angeles Zoo keepers were more cagey, they might have avoided being trapped by a band of ferocious Encino residents.

Zoo officials should have realized that they were creating a potential public relations nightmare when they revved up their chain saws and turned 80-foot-tall eucalyptus trees into 3-foot stumps.

Granted, the zoo is well within its rights to do it. The zoo planted a grove of 1,000 eucalyptus trees near Hayvenhurst Avenue and Balboa and Magnolia boulevards years ago as a source of food for koalas. Those cuddly little creatures apparently are persnickety eaters with massive appetites and eucalyptus trees are the only thing they'll eat.

But a group of Encino residents came to rely on the tall, beautiful trees as a sight and sound barrier that has sheltered their neighborhood for the past 15 years. They were understandably upset when the zoo mowed down their protection and resource without warning or regard for the people who live there.

For now, the zoo is trapped between a rock and a tree stump. They have few alternatives, after cutting city-owned eucalyptus groves around Griffith Park and the zoo.

In the future, we suggest the zoo plant trees away from residential neighborhoods to avoid creating hard feelings and a potential chain-saw massacre.