09/15/2026
HELP MAKE “WENDY’S LAW “ A REALITY
Wildlife Care of Southern California has submitted a formal petition to the California Fish and Game Commission requesting a change to California’s wildlife rehabilitation regulations.
The petition requests amendments to Title 14, sections 679.2 and 679.3. The petition asks the commission to establish a carefully regulated process allowing qualified wildlife rehabilitation permit holders - with appropriate training, equipment, and veterinary support- to use humane live-capture equipment for specifically identified injured or diseased wildlife.
We are calling this campaign “Wendy's Law” in her honor. 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.
WE NOW NEED THE COMMUNITY TO MAKE ITS VOICE HEARD.
Please e-mail your letter to:
California Fish and
Game Commission
[email protected]
Comments on proposed regulations: [email protected] (include the subject of the regulations in the email subject line)
Subject line:
Humane live trapping of injured or diseased wildlife by
qualified rehabilitation permittees.
Please reference:
PETITION Submitted September 14, 2026, by Wildlife Care of Southern California
Proposed amendments to Title 14,
sections 679.2 and 679.3
Please explain why this change matters to you, what you witnessed during Wendy's year in Studio City, or how her story affected you - and why qualified rehabilitators should be provided a lawful means to intervene before an animal's
condition becomes irreversible.
Wendy cannot be brought back, but her experience can create meaningful change for California’s wildlife. Together we can make sure she did not suffer and die in vain.
Wildlife Care of Southern California had the experience, equipment, veterinary support, and rehabilitation facility necessary to care for Wendy.
However, as a state-permitted wildlife rehabilitation organization, we are legally bound by our permit conditions.
Under California’s current regulations, wildlife rehabilitation facilities are not authorized to use humane live traps to bring in injured or diseased wildlife into our care.
This is a statewide problem, not one limited to Wendy or Studio City. When an injured animal remains mobile, no qualified public agency is available or equipped to capture it.
The result is a dangerous gap:
The rehabilitators prepared to treat the animal are not authorized to trap it, while no authorized agency is available to bring it to them.
When Wendy finally came into our care, her veterinary examination revealed that over time the infection had caused catastrophic and irreversible destruction of her jaw, sinuses, and the delicate bones behind them that protect the brain and the eyes; there was also damage present in her left ear and surrounding structures.
For approximately one year, the Studio City community watched over Wendy, provided her with food and water, and repeatedly reached out for help. Their compassion sustained her, and their determination brought attention to a serious problem in California’s regulations.
Petition Submitted
"SECTION I: Required Information.
Please be succinct. Responses for Section I should not exceed five pages
1. Person or organization requesting the change (Required)
Name of primary contact person: Anna Reams, Wildlife Care of Southern California. Address:
Telephone number:
Email address: [email protected]
2. Rulemaking Authority (Required) - Reference to the statutory or constitutional authority of the Commission to take the action requested: The California Fish and Game Commission has the authority to adopt and amend regulations governing the taking, capture, possession, transportation, and rehabilitation of wildlife pursuant to California Fish and Game Code sections 200, 1050, 2000, 2120, 2121, 2150.4, 3005.5, 3800.4150, and 4180. This petition specifically requests amendment of sections 679.2 and 679.3 of Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations to authorize qualified wildlife rehabilitation permittees, subject to Department-approved training, permit conditions, and humane capture requirements, to capture injured ,diseased, or debilitated wildlife for rehabilitation.
3. Overview (Required) - Summarize the proposed changes to regulations: Amend Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations to establish a clear permitting process authorizing qualified rehabilitation permittees to humanely capture injured, diseased, or debilitated wildlife for transport to an authorized rehabilitation facility. Authorization would be limited to permittees with appropriate species-specific experience, approved training, suitable equipment, and compliance with Department-established reporting, safety, and animal-welfare requirements. The amendment should also allow the Department to provide case-specific authorization when necessary.
4. Rationale (Required) - Describe the problem and the reason for the proposed change:
Current regulations do not provide a clear, consistent process for qualified wildlife rehabilitation permittees to capture injured, diseased, or debilitated wildlife in the field. This regulatory gap can cause dangerous delays while an animal's condition worsens, even when an experienced rehabilitator has the equipment, training, support, and facility necessary to provide care. This is also a significant public-safety concern. Injured or severely ill wildlife may behave unpredictably, enter residential areas, approach feeding locations, encounter children or domestic animals, create traffic hazards, or expose members of the public to bites, scratches, or zoonotic disease. When no qualified agency response is available, concerned residents may attempt to capture or assist the animal themselves, placing both people and animal at greater risk. Intervention by trained and authorized rehabilitators would reduce these dangers. Wendy, an injured Studio City coyote whose severe facial condition was known to the community for about 1 year, demonstrated the need for this change; during that time, the community sustained her by setting up feeding and water stations. Wildlife Care of Southern California had the experience and the resources to help but understood that our rehabilitation permit did not authorize capture. Despite repeated community efforts to obtain assistance, no timely and workable agency response was provided. By the time Wendy was finally captured through other lawful assistance, infection had destroyed much of her jaw, and humane euthanasia was necessary. Earlier intervention might have produced a different outcome, at minimum preventing prolonged suffering and reducing the risks created by having a severely compromised coyote living in a community and visiting backyards daily for food.
Wildlife rehabilitators routinely assess, handle, stabilize, transport, and treat injured wildlife and often possess qualifications equal to or greater than those required for commercial costly wildlife trapping. Establishing a controlled authorization process- with species-specific qualifications, humane-capture standards, reporting requirements, veterinary oversight, and Department supervision-would protect animal welfare and public safety while ensuring that injured wildlife can receive timely care."
