Courtesy: Pacific Wildlife CareSAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - Wardens with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife are investigating the death of a coyote this week off Prefumo Canyon Road on the outskirts of San Luis Obispo that has upset many residents.
On Tuesday morning, witnesses were watching a group of coyotes on a hillside behind Laguna Lake Mobile Estates when an unseen person shot one of the coyotes, which tumbled down the hillside.
A volunteer with Pacific Wildlife Care took the wounded animal to the group's hospital in Morro Bay, but the coyote was so badly wounded, it had to be euthanized.
California Fish and Wildlife officials are investigating the incident, but it is not clear if the shooting was a crime. Coyotes are not a protected species, therefore, licensed hunters can take them at any time of the year and landowners are allowed to shoot them to protect their property. According to Pacific Wildlife Care, the bullet that killed the coyote was a lead bullet, which they say is illegal to use in California.
Anyone with more information about this incident is urged to call Pacific Wildlife Care at (805)-543-WILD (9453) or the California Department of Fish and Wildlife at (888)334-2258.
