BATON ROUGE — The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is moving forward with a proposal to ban the rehabilitation of coyotes, a move that has wildlife experts and rehabilitators concerned.

Tisha Raiford, a state-certified wildlife rehabilitator, currently cares for a variety of animals, including squirrels, possums, foxes, and two orphaned coyote pups. She says rehabilitating the animals is critical to their survival.

“I think they deserve care, the same way these other species deserve care,” Raiford said. “We nurse them back to health. If they're injured, we get veterinarian care for them and care for them until they're healed and old enough and ready to be released.”

Raiford says she only receives a handful of coyotes each year and that their rehabilitation has minimal impa

See Full Page