COOK COUNTY (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - Animal rights activists and supporters of a campaign to free a coyote that's being kept in an enclosure in a Cook County Forest Preserve pleaded with members of the Forest Preserve Board to "do the right thing" and let him go to a wildlife refuge.
Activist Jodie Wiederkehr calls Rocky "the lonely coyote."
She addressed the board members.
"I had asked the thousands of people who support the Chicago Alliance for Animals' humane campaign to bring Rocky to sanctuary to share their thoughts with you,” Wiederkehr said.
There are many responses.
Ann Oliver wrote, “Please be kind Cook County and send Rocky to a rescue or send him a companion. We all need a friend.”
Wendy Kuai wrote, “This coyote is deprived of socialization when coyotes are pack animals. A sanctuary is available to provide a more humane environment. He is an intelligent, sentient animal and deserves better than spending his life alone in a cage.”
She said, if not a sanctuary, send him to the Brookfield Zoo.
The coyote has been kept in an enclosure at the River Trail Nature Center in Northbrook for about a year.
The County has had him since 2018.
He had been in a much smaller enclosure that drew sharp criticism.
The coyote was mistaken for a dog just after birth and became accustomed to people so it was decided he could not be returned to the wild.
The Forest Preserve Board did not address the issue.
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