MIDDLETOWN, R.I. (AP) - A coyote caught in an illegal trap earlier this month in Middletown has been euthanized by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.
Police received a tip on Tuesday morning from a resident who reported seeing the coyote limping in the area near the town’s Sachuest (sah-CHOO’-est ) Beach Family Campground.
Environmental officers and State Veterinarian Scott Marshall determined that the wounded animal would need to be put down.
Marshall says the coyote’s right leg sustained numerous fractures and massive soft tissue loss from the trap, which was still attached. The coyote was also malnourished because it was unable to hunt due to its injuries.
A coyote expert agreed that there was no other option.
Police are still searching for the person who set the trap.
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