sad post

last night the wildlife center where i volunteer was given a coyote pup who was found near some remnants of a meal - we think her mom abandoned her because she is hydrocephalic. meaning: her head is swollen and huge, and it affects her balance, hearing, and eyesight. it's pretty normal for a wild coyote mom to give up on a handicapped baby and just leave it to die - but usually if we get them there's at least something we can try to fix (like a broken leg or mange). it looks like this poor baby is a hopeless case - even if she survives, she'll be handicapped for life, so there is no chance that our coyotes would accept her, and it would be cruel to subject her to a life of lonliness in a cage. so unless a vet comes up with a miracle cure pretty quick, she's going to be put down. in the meantime, we're feeding her well (she was so hungry!) and giving her furs to snuggle with, and giving her little "exercise runs" in an empty room - then she can toddle around while we look in the window. she's so cute! it's hard to accept that she'll probably die in a few days.