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Michigan state Rep. Angela Rigas joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers Thursday in urging Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to block the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) from euthanizing two non-releasable animals, a disabled baby deer named Peanut and a coyote named Kota, currently housed at the Detroit Animal Welfare Group (DAWG), a no-kill sanctuary.
“These animals are not threats — they are survivors,” Rigas, a Republican, said in a news release. “Peanut and Kota have been cared for by licensed professionals and were intended to serve as education ambassadors. Their lives are now being taken over by arbitrary deadlines and bureaucratic technicalities.
“Governor Whitmer must commute the death sentences of these animals.”
The lawmakers’ letter to Whitmer asks the Democrat to direct the DNR to allow permanent educational and sanctuary placements for the animals and to establish a clearer, more humane process for appeals in similar cases. It also urges the state to drop prosecution of DAWG and issue permits for ongoing care.
Under Michigan law, wildlife that cannot survive in the wild must either be transferred to an approved educational facility or euthanized. DAWG, which has held a rehabilitation license since 2014, said it submitted all required paperwork, but was told it missed a technical deadline. The sanctuary disputes that claim, saying the animals have been safely housed and inspected for years.
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The DNR has said the agency ordered euthanasia because DAWG failed to meet a deadline to apply for an educational permit to keep the animals in permanent captivity, The Midwesterner reported. The DNR declined to provide additional comment to Fox News Digital, citing ongoing litigation, but confirmed the matter is currently before an administrative law judge.
In their letter, lawmakers warned the case illustrates how state agencies “can exercise disproportionate authority, often to the detriment of citizens and organizations acting in good faith.”
Rigas cited “a lack of transparency, arbitrary deadlines and aggressive enforcement tactics” and called for immediate review of DNR procedures.
Rigas accused the DNR of “harassing” DAWG and said it routinely enforces rules unevenly.
“They make these regulations on a case-by-case basis — no consistency, no fairness,” Rigas told Fox News Digital. “They’re overfunded, overstaffed, and this is a perfect example of how government overreach hurts good people just trying to do the right thing.”
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DAWG says Peanut is not blind, but does suffer from minor impairments that make her unreleasable, and added that Kota’s domesticated behavior makes both animals unfit for release.
DAWG stated that Peanut came to their facility for rehabilitation and, after completing treatment, was transferred to a wildlife center as an education ambassador. Kota has been with the nonprofit since 2018, and Peanut was taken in after being deemed non-releasable by veterinarians.
“Peanut is a gentle animal who relies on staff for daily care,” DAWG said in a statement. “We have provided all medical documentation and licensing updates required, and we believe the decision to euthanize her is both unnecessary and cruel.”
In a Facebook post titled “Peanut’s Journey,” DAWG detailed the fawn’s recovery after she was found collapsed and unable to stand.
“She came in lateral, on her side, very weak and unable to move,” the post reads. “After warming and getting her glucose up with IV fluids and dextrose, she was treated as a neurologic patient.”
Over several weeks, staff documented the tiny deer’s slow progress — lifting her head, learning to stand, then walking on her own. “Every day she became stronger and stronger,” the sanctuary wrote. “She was so small but held her own with the bigger fawns.”
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The post concludes: “She fought to get this far so we then carried her torch to find her a safe haven to live out her life. She is absolutely precious and deserves every opportunity… However, the Michigan DNR has now ordered her to be killed for absolutely no reason. Please be her voice and help save her life.”
Former Republican Michigan gubernatorial nominee Tudor Dixon also weighed in, telling Fox News Digital, “Whitmer and her band of enforcers are obsessed with malicious obedience to their unreasonable government regulations. Too bad Peanut didn’t illegally cross the border — she’d have free healthcare for life.”
Rigas and her colleagues also referenced findings from the U.S. House Committee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, which investigated what it calls overreach by state agencies.
In that context, they argued, DAWG’s situation is part of a larger pattern of what Rigas called “government overreach” and disregard for “compassion and common sense.”
Rigas said she expects the Michigan House Oversight Committee to hold a hearing later this month to review the DNR’s authority.
“This isn’t just about one deer,” she said. “It’s about whether unelected bureaucrats get to decide life and death without accountability.”
“The blood of Peanut and Kota will be on the Governor’s hands if she does not act,” Rigas said. “This is not just about wildlife — it’s about compassion, common sense, and the proper role of government.”
The case has echoes last fall’s seizure and killing of P’Nut the squirrel in New York State under Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, which sparked national outrage.
Whitmer’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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