Studio City, California – After months of observation, residents of Studio City, California, became invested in the fate of a strange-looking animal: a coyote they dubbed Wendy. Wildlife rehabilitators rescued the wild coyote, but sadly the critter's face-deforming injuries proved too severe.
The animal’s head looked downright grotesque. Its face was swollen and oddly deformed. The poor creature seemed to be missing its left eye.
The coyote with abscesses on her face was first spotted in Summer 2025 around Studio Valley, California.
Residents dubbed her Wendy in Summer 2026, and some fed her cat food.
Capturing this wily coyote was no easy task. It took a "village" of animal rescuers, per Wildlife Care of Southern California's Facebook posts.
Rescuers finally caught Wendy on September 1 and immediately started her on antibiotics and anti-inflammatories.
Unfortunately, a veterinary examination revealed that this wild animal's injuries and infections were too severe to be treated.
“A Heartbreaking Update on our Studio City Coyote," The team wrote on Facebook Tuesday.
"It is with profound sadness that Wildlife Care of Southern California shares that, following a thorough veterinary examination, our girl was humanely put to rest."
Southern California Wildlife Care explains decision to euthanize Wendy
According to wildlife rescuers, euthanizing Wendy was the only responsible choice. It was simply too late for this coyote.
"Diagnostic imaging revealed two pellets lodged in her head, indicating that she had been previously shot," rescuers revealed.
Rescuers previously believed that Wendy's facial injury was from a run-in with a vehicle.
"The extent of the infection was so significant over time that it had destroyed the upper jaw bone on the left side of her face; it was gone,” the team explained.
The damage to Wendy's face and jaw was "so severe that there was no surgery or treatment capable of restoring normal function. She would have required a soft-food diet for the remainder of her life."
For a wild coyote, this would have meant that she could never return to the life and freedom she deserved.
"This is no life for a 3-year-old coyote," rehabilitators explained.