The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County takes care of more than the trees and shrubs of our forest preserves; the residents of those forests also fall under their care, and this past winter, they rescued an injured coyote.
Last February, preserve staff took in a male coyote they found trapped in a fence at a Springbrook Prairie dog park. They quickly got to work extracting the coyote, all while hearing another coyote nearby, possibly its mate. After freeing the animal from the fence, rangers soon discovered one of its hind legs was severely injured. Because the coyote could not be safely released back into the wild, they took the injured coyote to the Willowbrook Wildlife Center for care.
“This coyote presented with some pretty significant wounds to his rear leg,” said Angie Schlitz, Forest Preserve District of DuPage County Administrative Associate. “He took numerous bandage changes, lots and lots of rehab and care, and thankfully, we were finally able to get him out here on such a beautiful day.”
After the wounds were mostly cleaned and bandaged, Willowbrook Wildlife staff found keeping the coyote in their care a delightful challenge. He attempted to escape from his cage multiple times and even tried burrowing under fences designed to keep predators from outside from harming the animals undergoing rehabilitation.
Finally, on June 8, four months after rescuing the injured coyote, forest preserve staff released it into Springbrook Prairie where they hope it will reunite with its mate.
If you find a wild animal needing help, the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County says not to attempt to capture or care for the animal yourself. Instead, call the Willowbrook Wildlife Center at 630-942-6200.
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