4 Coyotes Removed From Tinley Park Woman's Home

TINLEY PARK, IL — A Tinley Park woman who calls herself a coyote rescuer had four coyotes removed from her backyard last week after raising them from pups, at least one of them as long as 13 years. The Illinois Dept. of Natural Resources conservation police and Cook County Animal Control officers took the coyotes from Tomi Tranchita on April 24,the Daily Southtown reported.

Tranchita, who turned her backyard into a coyote rescue, said she was licensed by the USDA and that the regulators had inspected her yard and approved it for use as a rescue. She said she thought she complied with local laws.

However, the Southtown reported that IDNR confiscated some paperwork and the animals, and cited her for unlawful take of a fur-bearing animal (coyote), unlawful collection of a protected species without a permit; and unlawful take of a protected species and keeping it alive. A spokesman told the news organization that there are no IDNR permits on file for Tranchita. He added that it was illegal to keep wild animals as pets.

Tranchita, who lives in unincorporated Tinley Park, said the coyotes were tranquilized and one was injured in the ordeal.

Tranchita said she first picked up the pups years ago after someone dropped them off at a local shelter, thinking they were dog puppies. A rescue group tried nursing them, but one died. Tranchita took three of them in, and from there began rescuing others.

“I have no children, no husband. It’s me and these coyotes and a couple of cats,” she told the Southtown. “I’m with them every day. They wag their tails when they see me. I love them and they love me. They are my family.”

Read the full story here.