09/09/2026
For all of you who are angry that Wendy the Coyote was euthanized because you wanted a “happy ending,” let’s put this in human terms. Maybe then you’ll understand.
Imagine I had been shot in the face and left to suffer for more than a year. My jawbone had dissolved. I had lost an eye. I was terrified of people because, after all, people were the ones who shot me.
The only thing keeping me alive was food—hot dogs—handed to me by the very humans I was afraid of.
Now tell me: Would you want me to keep living like that because you couldn’t bear to let me go?
I couldn’t be treated and made physically whole. I couldn’t have my jaw restored. I couldn’t have my eye replaced. I couldn’t suddenly stop being terrified of humans. And I couldn’t return to a normal life or simply go back to my pack.
That isn’t a “happy ending” waiting to happen.
That is prolonged suffering.
I’m thankful that I don’t have to hurt every day anymore. I don’t have to live in fear. I don’t have to run from the people who might give me a hot dog one day and drive too fast or shoot at me the next.
I just want my suffering to end.
Thank you to the humans who finally helped me.
And I’m sorry I couldn’t provide the feel-good ending some of you wanted so you could feel better about my suffering.
This wasn’t about what made you feel better.
It was about what was humane for Wendy.
P.S. Please stop feeding coyotes. You may think you’re helping, but habituating wild animals to humans puts them at greater risk. The more they are drawn into neighborhoods, the more likely they are to encounter cars, fi****ms, poisoned rodents, and other dangers. It can also create conflicts that ultimately put the animal’s life at risk.
If you truly care about coyotes, keep them wild. Don’t make them dependent on you.
The photo below is the easy, not so scary version. The real pics were so painful.
