Coyote attack leaves duck dead at animal rehab facility

MUSKEGO -- An overnight coyote attack left an animal dead and another wounded at Acres of Hope and Aspirations, a rehab home for people with severe brain injuries in Muskego.

Lisa Alberte runs Acres of Hope and Aspirations, and says part of their healing process includes pairing disabled animals Alberte keeps on site, with those working through brain injuries. Sunday night, one of those creatures was killed. A wing and head were all that was left of a duck named Salt. "They're very friendly animals, and unfortunately, one of their lives was lost again, just like we lost five of them last year to the attacks of the coyotes," Alberte said.

As a critter control specialist, Ben Lurvey has seen this situation before. A fenced in, flightless group of animals makes for easy prey for coyotes. "They're a scavenger animal. They know what's going to be an easy meal for them, even if they have to dig under a fence or jump over something. They'll continue to come back until they can't get in anymore, or they've moved on to something else," Lurvey said.

Last year, five of Alberte's rehab animals were killed in coyote attacks, and now, Loki and Dominion, two donated sheepdogs patrol the area, meant to fight off coyotes. Lurvey says digging the fence into the ground could help protect the animals against future attacks, but that could cost upwards of $10,000. "We're a home that tries to help people with brain injuries that has no funding. A lot of them don't have resources, and we try to offer them a nurturing environment and it's not something that we can ever put in our budget right now," Alberte said.

For more on this story, check out the Muskego Patch article.