The Michigan Department of Natural Resources ordered a rescued fawn, taken to a licensed wildlife education facility slated to become an “education ambassador”, euthanized.
The wildlife facility, Detroit Animal Welfare Group (DAWG), is a no-kill animal rescue farm which sits on 25 acres in Macomb County. The organization, who helped to rescue the fawn say the state’s agency’s deadline to euthanize the fawn, dubbed Peanut, is because of a misinterpretation of state law and a paperwork mess up.
When Peanut was rescued, she arrived in critical condition and was not able to stand or even lift her head. According to Kelley LaBonty, the director of DAWG, which includes a veterinarian, vet tech and over 100 volunteers, slowly worked with Peanut as she regained her health and her strength.
Peanut has been rehabilitating for months. The usual protocol for helping fawns is to rehabilitate them and then to release them back into the wild. In Peanuts case, however, experts say she doesn’t have the excellent vision needed to survive in the wild.
The fawn was then scheduled to be transferred to another wildlife educational facility where she could live out her life and become an “educational ambassador.”
The procedure for this includes an animal education permit issued by the DNR after the veterinarian writes a letter stating the fawn can not be released and that she will be kept as an educational provider. And then the DNR routinely sends the approval back.
In this case, however the mess up seems to have been a deadline date of September 15 which only applied to extending rehab and was not relevant.
Meet Peanut:
On the Facebook page for DAWG, Kelley LaBonty posted:
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has ordered euthanasia. It comes down to technicalities and bureaucracy.
Peanut is a non-releasable baby deer with vision impairment who survived against all odds due to care received at Detroit Animal Welfare Group (DAWG). She’s set to be euthanized over a deadline instead of being allowed to serve as an education ambassador.
Kota is a non-releasable coyote who’s lived at DAWG since 2018. DAWG has been dragged in and out of court trying to save her life.
Something is not right when people have to fight against the government to save the lives of animals.
LaBonty asked animal supporters to reach out to their representatives in order to save the lives of both the fawn and a non releasable coyote who has been at the farm for six years.
Please reach out NOW and ask them to:
– Grant a reprieve. Allow Peanut. Kota and other non-releasable animals to remain in safe educational or sanctuary homes.
– Allow educational/sanctuary placements without arbitrary deadlines.
– Create a fair process for evaluating unique cases and appeals by rescue organizations.
– Stop the prosecution and issue whatever permits or licenses are needed for these organizations to continue their crucial work.
– Put our tax money towards better use.
Ask them to prioritize common sense and compassion over bureaucracy.
Phone calls have more weight than emails. Please call! Or even better do both! But if you can’t call, at least email.
And just this morning, an UPDATE from DAWG:
PEANUT LIVES
Peanut is scratching her head this morning on why her life was almost taken. She is sniffing the fresh fall air and taking a deep breath now that the Executive team has demanded the DNR approve her as an educational ambassador!
She will be at the Howell Nature Center and you can meet her as early as next week!
We are thankful for everyone that called and wrote to save her and for Representative Riga’s who wrote a letter and for all the representatives who signed it! We had many more willing to sign but missed the deadline as it was urgent. Thank you Executive team for intervening and making the right decision.
Many thanks to everyone involved. Our voices were heard.
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