A Southern California wildlife rescue is lobbying the state Fish and Game Commission to let qualified rehabilitators capture injured wildlife, after a coyote residents named Wendy died in Studio City with a destroyed jaw and two pellets lodged in her head.
STUDIO CITY — A Southern California wildlife rescue is pushing for a regulatory change it has named "Wendy's Law," after a coyote with an extremely swollen face that wandered through a Studio City neighborhood for more than a year before she was euthanized.
Wildlife Care of Southern California, the facility that treated the animal, said that part of Wendy's jaw had been destroyed by a significant infection and that two pellets were lodged in her head, "indicating that she had been previously shot." The organization said that surgery and treatment could not repair the damage, which influenced their decision to euthanize the coyote.
"We are calling this campaign 'Wendy's Law' in her honor," Wildlife Care SoCal wrote in a Facebook post. "It is not yet an enacted law or regulation. It is our effort to ensure that the next injured wild animal, and the next concerned community, has a lawful path to qualified help."
The proposal asks the California Fish and Game Commission to change a regulation that, in the rescue's view, blocks qualified groups from helping. Wildlife Care SoCal said that current rules do not allow them to use humane live traps to bring in injured or diseased wildlife for care.
"The rehabilitators prepared to treat the animal are not authorized to trap it, while no authorized agency is available to bring it to them," the organization wrote.
The group is asking the commission to allow qualified wildlife rehabilitation permit holders, with appropriate training, equipment, and veterinary support, to rescue injured wildlife.
"This is a statewide problem, not one limited to Wendy or Studio City," the organization wrote. "When an injured animal remains mobile, no qualified public agency is available or equipped to capture it."
The effort is also drawing attention to the question of who shot Wendy. Southern California Pit Bull Rescue, one of the groups that helped locate the coyote, said it would offer a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible.
"We spent weeks fighting to save Wendy. Now we will fight for justice for her," the group wrote in a Facebook post. "She survived for as long as she possibly could. Wendy deserved better from humanity. Wendy deserved to live. And whoever caused her suffering should be held accountable."
The case has drawn the attention of neighbors in Studio City who followed Wendy's months-long presence through their streets. Wildlife Care of California, the agency that earlier provided updates on the coyote's condition, has said the public was not needed for the search once the animal was tracked.
For the rescue, Wendy's death is a starting point for a broader campaign aimed at changing how California handles injured wildlife in urban areas.
This article was generated with AI assistance.