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Peanut — a rescued, visually impaired fawn once ordered to be euthanized by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources — has been spared.
The DNR officially reversed its euthanasia order late Thursday, Oct. 16, and granted a permit allowing Peanut to live at the Howell Nature Center as an “educational ambassador,” according to the Detroit Animal Welfare Group (DAWG).
Peanut had been slated for euthanasia due to what DAWG officials described as a misinterpretation of state law and a missed paperwork deadline — not because of her health or behavior. She was rescued in critical condition by DAWG, a licensed no-kill facility in Macomb County, and was unable to stand or lift her head when she arrived. After months of care, she was able to nurse and move on her own.
“She went through our rehabilitation program and got stronger and stronger every day,” DAWG Director Kelley LaBonty previously told the Free Press. “It was a slow progression, but she really came a long way from how she came in.”
Because of vision issues, Peanut was deemed unreleasable to the wild. DAWG arranged for her to live at the Howell Nature Center, a well-known wildlife education facility. Typically, animals in such programs are granted a DNR education permit, LaBonty said. In this case, the DNR did not initially approve an education permit for Peanut, citing a missed deadline and ordering the fawn’s euthanasia.
LaBonty said the Sept. 15 deadline cited by the DNR applies to rehabilitation extensions, not educational placements, and that the permit request had already been submitted. However, according to MLive, the DNR said it did not receive the formal permit request from Howell Nature Center or veterinary documentation until the day it reversed the order, on Thursday, Oct. 16.
Public outcry over Peanut’s fate grew after LaBonty shared her story online, prompting calls and letters to state officials. State Rep. Angela Rigas, R-Caledonia, also intervened, sending a letter signed by 16 House members urging Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to overturn the DNR’s order.
With the DNR’s reversal, Peanut will now live out her life at the Howell Nature Center, where visitors may be able to meet her as early as next week, according to DAWG.
“We are thankful for everyone (who) called and wrote to save her and for Representative Riga’s who wrote a letter and for all the representatives who signed it!” DAWG wrote in a statement on Facebook.
Detroit Free Press reporter Keith Matheny contributed to this report.