Comedian Ricky Gervais joins animal rights group in call to move Rocky the coyote from forest preserve in Northbrook to Colorado wildlife sanctuary

The push to move a coyote from its cage in a Cook County forest preserve to a wildlife sanctuary got a celebrity endorsement recently from comedian Ricky Gervais.

The British stand-up joined the international animal rights group In Defense of Animals in calling for Rocky the coyote to be moved from its “inhumane” captivity in River Trail Nature Center in Northbrook to The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado.

“I stand with In Defense of Animals and demand Rocky be surrendered to an accredited sanctuary where he will be able to thrive for the rest of his life,” Gervais said in a news release from the group.

The Forest Preserve District of Cook County has no plans to do so. Instead, after conducting a review of its animal captivity program, district officials announced last month that they would build a bigger, more naturalistic enclosure for the coyote this year.

The animal was mistaken for a dog when it was a puppy and initially raised in a shelter in Tennessee. A rehabilitator concluded the coyote had been imprinted on humans, meaning that it had become so accustomed to being cared for that it couldn’t survive in the wild.

The coyote was transferred to a forest preserve cage measuring about 10 feet by 22 feet, where it has remained for four years.

Critics objected that the animal sometimes paces continuously, bites its paws and scratches, and was given medication, as signs of stress were noted. Vets who testified on behalf of the cause said it would be better off in a more natural environment with other coyotes.

The forest preserve’s own veterinarian and two outside vets assessed the animal as healthy and well cared for. They felt that it would be endangered by being moved and put with other coyotes, noting that while most wild coyotes live in pairs or packs, about one out of three live alone.

The coyote has been put on anti-anxiety medications only for specific stressful instances, such as visiting the vet or the Fourth of July, officials said.

Officials have been reviewing the forest preserve site for where and how to situate the enclosure. They are compiling best practices from scientific papers, other facilities, and guidelines from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, to add more natural elements.

The forest preserve board of commissioners never voted on the issue, but was given a report on the staff’s findings and plans.

“We have taken this issue very seriously and done the research to learn what we can do better and to make the right choices for the coyote’s well-being,” forest preserve spokesman Carl Vogel wrote.

Documents obtained by the Tribune showed that a forest preserve naturalist had objected to the captivity of another coyote named Kaia, previously kept outside the Trailside Museum of Natural History in River Forest.

In an email to other forest preserve officials in 2020, Jeanette Louis wrote, “The previous female coyote, Kaia, should have been reconditioned and released once it was determined her eyesight was just fine. But, as they say, hindsight is 20/20. Knowing how much she was kept isolated from everyone for the better part of her life … combined with knowing she was a perfectly healthy coyote (not to mention extremely intelligent) makes me even more of a proponent to release an animal whenever possible.”

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Sometime before that email, vandals had damaged Kaia’s cage and she escaped, and was reported playing with a dog in the neighborhood.

In response, Vogel said the district’s vets and animal care committee never considered releasing that coyote because it too was socialized with humans from an early age, and couldn’t live safely in the wild. Coyotes can kill small pets, and encounters with humans are potentially dangerous for both people and animals.

The forest preserves’ report included a general review of its animal captivity program. The district has kept animals on display since the 1940s. They’re now shown at six nature centers, at an annual cost of $63,000, with the stated goal of creating empathy and appreciation for native wildlife.

Two area nature centers also keep captive coyotes, according to the forest preserve report: Wildlife Discovery Center in Lake Forest and Cosley Zoo in Wheaton.

The report found that Lincoln Park Zoo and many other facilities have been evolving their programs to be based on what’s best for the animal, rather than for humans.

As a result, the district created a set of goals to improve its animal ambassador program. For instance, the district review stated, animals should be given the choice whether they want to participate in any demonstration for the public.

The forest preserves will also stop acquiring any new animals until officials evaluate its process for doing so, expected to be done by early 2023.