HOWELL, Mich. (WXYZ) — A young fawn named Peanut is getting a second chance at life thanks to an animal rescue group, a state lawmaker and a whole lot of public support.
The fawn was close to being euthanized after the state said she couldn't be placed with a local nature center. But what started as a fight for one animal has now become part of a bigger battle over wildlife policies in Michigan.
Watch Carli Petrus' video report below:
Peanut will soon be living out her life in an enclosure at the Howell Nature Center. While it's a happy ending for her, lawmakers and activists say their fight is far from over.
"She can live a very happy, normal life in captivity," said Kelley Labonty, director of the Detroit Animal Welfare Group.
Peanut was rescued this past spring by the Detroit Animal Welfare Group, or DAWG. Labonty said Peanut was malnourished and nearly blind, but was nursed back to health with the goal of becoming an educational ambassador at the Howell Nature Center.
"Once they received her, their vet evaluated her and then they wrote a letter to the DNR requesting that she be added onto their permit as an education ambassador and that was immediately denied," Labonty said.
John Pepin with the DNR said the issue was that the request came too late and without a proper permit, euthanasia was the likely outcome.
"Typically, that would be an animal that would be euthanized because that's the most humane thing to do at that point," Pepin said.
Pushing back on the DNR, Labonty wasn't going to stop fighting for Peanut. Neither was state Representative Angela Rigas.
"It's not so much about the animals; it's entirely about department overreach, unfair rule-making against certain organizations. We have to rein in these departments," Rigas said.
Rigas says she reached out to the DNR as well as the governor's office. Along with an overwhelming amount of public support, Peanut's life was spared.
Now she'll live at the Howell Nature Center with other rehabilitated deer.
"Peanut is currently in one of our enclosures in our pre-release area for rehabilitation facilities," said Laura Moran, Howell Nature Center director.
Moran says that while most animals at Howell are eventually released, some, like Peanut, stay on as permanent residents.
"We always want to release back into the wild if we can, but if they can't live in the wild, sometimes they can live here in our wildlife park where they can be an ambassador for their species," Moran said.
Rigas and Labonty are now turning their attention to helping other animals, including a coyote and several birds at area sanctuaries now at risk of being euthanized.
"And fortunately it was a good outcome, but now we're focusing on getting a stay granted for the coyote and then we also have the duck sanctuary as well," Rigas said.
The DNR's John Pepin believes animal advocacy groups and the state can find common ground.
"If you follow the rules, then that would make things work smoothly. We'd all be in line," Pepin said.
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