Man fights to keep emotional support coyote

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A man who claims a young coyote is his emotional support animal is locked in a battle with a local wildlife centre, who want to return the pup to the wild.

Matthew Stokes said he acquired the coyote – which he has named Drifter – when it was left behind by its family in his backyard in Iowa.

The orphaned creature was “looking for a pack”, Mr Stokes told a local newspaper. “I became his pack. This animal is a dog in a coyote's body.”

A neighbour caught Drifter while he roamed the area in October and gave him to the nearby WildThunder Wildlife and Animal Rehabilitation and Sanctuary.

The centre now intend to return the coyote to the wild, where they believe he belongs.

“This is not an emotional support animal. This is a wild coyote that he took out of the wild and decided to make a pet," said Tracy Belle, director of the sanctuary.

Although the young animal seems docile, as he grows up his natural predatory instincts will begin to kick in. "This is not a domestic coyote, this is a wild animal," Belle said.

But Mr Stokes is continuing to fight to be allowed to keep Drifter, who he claims is a vital part of his therapy for anxiety and depression.

He told the newspaper he had been given a letter by his doctor explaining the coyote is a legitimate emotional support animal, and is in the process of applying for a government licence to keep a dangerous animal.

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