Coyote Who Escaped Brutal Attack Nearly Crushed By Tree

BARRINGTON, IL – A coyote pup named Peace who was the sole survivor in a drowning and beating last year, which left six of his siblings dead, narrowly escaped danger again over the past Memorial Day weekend. Peace, who has been recovering at Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation in Barrington since the May 2017 attack, was thankfully not injured when a huge oak tree fell Saturday morning on the enclosure where he lives, according to the post on the Flint Creek Facebook page. Peace and two other coyotes instinctively huddled together in the enclosure until they were freed and brought to a temporary cage, Dawn Keller, Flint Creek founder and director, told the Chicago Tribune.

The tree destroyed the coyote enclosure and also damaged a nearby red fox enclosure, Keller told the newspaper. The tree also narrowly missed landing on a wild turkey, several Canada geese and an opossum. Keller said the coyotes were, at first, very frightened but have been doing much better.

“They’re much more relaxed,” she told the newspaper. “They’re missing their home with their pond and hollowed logs, but they’re safe and calm.”

Peace was among seven coyote pups found drowned in a bucket on May 11, 2017, near Penny Road Pond at the Spring Creek Valley Forest Preserve in Barrington. All of the pups had also been beaten. Peace was about two weeks old at the time of the attack and the only one to survive.

Only about 1 pound at the time of the brutal attack, Peace has recovered from his injuries, which included a shattered leg, Keller told the Chicago Tribune. He has been cared for at the center, which brings in about 3,000 injured or orphaned animals a year, every since the May 2017 attack.

Flint Creek closed on Saturday and Sunday as crews worked to clean up the destruction left when the oak tree fell. The damage is expected to cost the not-for-profit facility $6,500 for repairs and the cost to hire a tree serve to remove the oak tree.

Keller told the Tribune the tree was healthy but likely feel because of its size and since it was leaning.

The rehab center relies on donations to stay up and running. Anyone interested in making a donation can do so at www.flintcreekwildlifecenter.org.

• Coyote Pups Beaten, Drowned In Bucket At Barrington Forest Preserve
• $6,000 Reward Offered for Coyote Pup Killers

Photo via Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation