Luna The Coyote Remains Far From Home During Long Court Battle

TINLEY PARK, IL — Even at the elderly age of 13, Luna was a healthy and happy coyote while living at her home at the Tomi Tranchita Education Center in unincorporated Tinley Park, her owner says. Tranchita says coyotes generally only feel comfortable with one human, and for Luna, she is that human.

The two are seen enjoying each other's company in this video taken nearly a year ago:

"Coyotes only bond with one person and will never bond with another," said Tranchita, who continues her fight to bring Luna home from an Indiana coyote refuge.

Tranchita is in the midst of a legal battle, with the hope of bringing Luna — the lone survivor of an April 24, 2019 coyote raid at her preserve near Tinley — back home. She's filed a lawsuit in connection with the raid against the state of Illinois, which has already filed a motion to dismiss. The ordeal will go before a judge again on Jan. 27.

"My lawyer has time to respond to their motion to dismiss and they'll have time to respond to that," Tranchita said after the most recent court date in December.

All along, Tranchita has said she would drop the lawsuit herself once Luna is returned. That could get complicated, though, as Luna is now across state lines at the Indiana Coyote Rescue Center near Kokomo.

Here's a look back at a timeline of how Tranchita's fight for Luna has gone since authorities seized all four of her coyotes from her property nine months ago.

A Missed $25 Permit Renewal

Tranchita, a federally licensed exhibitor since 2006, said she forgot to renew the Illinois Department of Natural Resources fur-bearing mammal permit, which costs $25 yearly, in 2019, even though she had every other year since the permit became a requirement in 2011.

The Seizure

What happened next is what Tranchita referred to an "an illegal raid" made on her property in April in a letter to the lieutenant governor's office.

"With no warning," she said, an Illinois Department of Natural Resources officer who recently moved nearby was able to get the search warrant needed to conduct a raid of Tranchita's property.

She remembers vividly what occurred the morning of April 24.

"At 7 a.m. I was awoken by banging and yelling of my first name," she said. "Six armed officers were at my door. (The IDNR officer who obtained the warrant) told me he was taking my coyotes now."

Here's a look at Luna being "tortured" during the raid.

A spokeswoman for the IDNR was reached, but said they are not able to provide a comment due to the ongoing litigation in the case.

3 Of 4 Coyotes Die

Three of the four coyotes seized from the property, all but Luna, died less than a month later. Tranchita denies the IDNR's claim that they died of canine distemper.

The Runaround

Tranchita said she renewed the $25 permit as soon as she realized it had lapsed, but then she says the state said she would also need a hound running permit.

"Which is outrageous because that permit is held only by two hunting clubs downstate and used for the purpose of baiting hound dogs, which are let loose on trapped coyotes, foxes, raccoons, etc. as hunting bait training and the dogs chase and kill the animals," Tranchita said. "Others in the state with educational coyotes are not required to have the Hound running permit."

'Inhumane' Treatment At IDNR-Placed Facility

Immediately after the raid, Luna was taken to a wildlife rehab center by the IDNR in west suburban Willowbrook, Tranchita said, and "inhumanely kept indoors without sunlight or fresh air for three months."

Tranchita said she took this video of Luna "laying in her poop" during an August visit to the facility.

Moved to Indiana

Tranchita said she agreed to plead guilty to not having the permit in exchange for the state to agree to release Luna from the Willowbrook facility to a coyote preserve in Indiana.

"It was the only thing I could do," to save Luna's life from the horrid conditions at the facility in Illinois, Tranchita said. "She was near death. That was the only way they were going to move her out of there (Willowbrook)."

But the fight to bring Luna back home remains a long one because, while overall a safe place for coyotes in general, Tranchita said the IDNR claims the rescue center in Indiana is a permanent home for coyotes that have been deemed non-releasable.

"Luna is suffering in an unfamiliar environment with people she does not know or trust," Tranchita said.

During her visits there, Tranchita said Luna is seen pacing often and "is scared at activity."

"She's not doing great under constant fear and stress will shorten her life," she said.

Making the long court battle all the more frustrating, Luna is already 13 years old and coyotes rarely live to be older than 15 even while with the human they bond with.

Public Support

As of mid January 2020, a Change.org petition seeking to have Luna returned to her home with Tranchita includes 11,504 signatures. Still yet, Luna remains at the rescue center in Indiana.

"The humane thing would be to let this poor animal come home for whatever time she has left," Tranchita said.