Michigan underfire for plan to euthanize non-releasable fawn, Peanut, and coyote, Kota
Michigan state Rep.Angela Rigas joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers Thursday in urging Gov.
Gretchen Whitmer to block the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) from euthanizing two non-releasable animals, a rescued baby deer named Peanut and a coyote named Kota, currently housed at the Detroit Animal Welfare Group (DAWG), a no-kill sanctuary.“These animals are not threats — they are survivors,” Rigas, a Republican, said in a news release.“Peanut and Kota have been cared for by licensed professionals and were intended to serve as education ambassadors.
Their lives are now being taken over by arbitrary deadlines and bureaucratic technicalities.“Governor Whitmer must commute the death sentences of these animals.”The lawmakers’ letter to Whitmer asks the Democrat to direct the DNR to allow permanent educational and sanctuary placements for the animals and to establish a clearer, more humane process for appeals in similar cases.It also urges the state to drop its prosecution of DAWG and issue permits for ongoing care.Under Michigan law, wildlife that cannot survive in the wild must either be transferred to an approved educational facility or euthanized.DAWG, which has held a rehabilitation license since 2014, said it submitted all required paperwork but was told it missed a technical deadline.The sanctuary disputes that claim, saying the animals have been safely housed and inspected for years.The DNR has said the agency ordered euthanasia because DAWG failed to meet a deadline to apply for an educational permit to keep the animals in permanent captivity, The Midwesterner reported.The DNR declined to provide additional comment to Fox News Digital, citing ongoing litigation, but confirmed the matter is before an administrative law judge.In their letter, lawmakers warned the case illustrates how state agencies “can exercise disproportionate authority, often to the detriment of citizens and organizations acting in good faith.”Rigas cited “a ...