Rocky the Lonely Coyote...
8 years of isolation and confinement is not "education"– it's cruelty.
Pacing
Playback at 1.3x speed to highlight movement patterns
"Among the various stereotypic behaviors that captive animals show, pacing is one of the most common. Among animals housed in zoos, pacing is widely reported. Many factors lead to pacing, including quality of an animal's previous and current environment, lack of novel enrichment, or even anticipation of routine care taking activities.
Some researchers have noted that pacing and similar stereotypies may be a result of permanent aberrations in the brain "caused by abnormalities in captive environments." Others describe it as a direct and ongoing reaction to the captive environment.
In this study, the researchers used high-speed videotape to record the movement of 11 zoo-housed polar bears...Results showed that pacing did indeed vary significantly from regular walking.
The results reveal that pacing "is likely not a species-typical behavior, or a behavior characteristic of most wild individuals in a given species and advantageous for their survival and propagation." In other words, pacing is indicative of an animal who is coping with stress by "disengaging from [their] environment" through repetitive, goal-less behavior."
Rocky's Story
The Mistake
He Was Never a Pet
Rocky was mistaken for a dog as a puppy. And for eight years, he has paid the price for that one human mistake.
The Contradiction
Wild When It’s Convenient
Raised in captivity, Rocky exists in a contradiction: when it’s convenient, he’s treated like a pet—but when it’s not, he’s labeled “wild” and put on display. Which is it?
The Reality
This Is Not Care
Even as a captive animal, this is not how we care for a sentient being. A dog raised in captivity would have companionship, stimulation, outings, and consistent care. Rocky has none of that. Humans cannot replace what he truly needs—a family of his own kind. Cleaning his cage is not care. It is not freedom, space, or belonging.
The Suffering
Signs We Can’t Ignore
Rocky shows clear signs of distress, including near-constant pacing. And if those responsible for him didn’t even recognize he was a coyote pup, we have to ask: are they truly qualified to keep him?
The Truth
This Is Not Conservation
He is currently held at River Trail Nature Center and Preserve—but this is not conservation. It is confinement.
The Reality He Lives
Eight Years Alone
Instead, Rocky has spent nearly eight years alone in a small enclosure, enduring harsh Midwest winters, isolated from everything natural to him.
Who Rocky Should Be
Coyotes Belong Together
Coyotes are deeply social, intelligent animals. They are pack animals—meant to live, communicate, and survive together. In the wild, pups are born in spring, blind and dependent, raised by both parents, and gradually taught how to hunt and live as part of a family unit. That is the life Rocky was meant to have—and has been denied.
The Missed Opportunity
A Sanctuary Is Waiting 🌲⛰️🌲
Advocates, including sanctuaries willing to take him in, have called for his transfer to a proper facility in Colorado—where he could live with space, dignity, and potentially even companionship. Those pleas have gone unanswered.
This is not education. It’s exploitation.
This is not conservation. It’s a life sentence for an animal who did no wrong.
Rocky deserves more.
More space. More dignity. More life.
Please help us #FreeRocky.
“This is not conservation. It’s confinement.”
We should be striving to coexist with wildlife respectfully—not confine and display it under the guise of a “Nature Center.” There is nothing natural about this.
Be a Voice for Rocky
📞 Phone Numbers:
President Toni Preckwinkle
(312) 603-6400
The Forest Preserve Foundation
(312) 603-8349
🗣️ Sample Message:
I would like to speak with / This message is for President Toni Preckwinkle/ This message is for The Forest Preserve Foundation/ May I speak with someone about the "conservation" efforts at River Trail Nature Center? My name is ____ and I am calling as a concerned resident of Cook County. I am inquiring about the release of Rocky, the captive coyote. Wild animals should not be on display like this. Five minutes of a field trip several times a year is not a good trade-off for a lifetime of suffering. If the mission of the Nature Center is education, conservation, and respect for wildlife, then Rocky’s continued confinement directly contradicts those values. True conservation prioritizes the well-being of animals and respects their natural behaviors and social needs. A reputable sanctuary could provide Rocky with the space, enrichment, and quality of life that align with modern animal welfare standards. I would respectfully urge you to transfer Rocky to an appropriate sanctuary and to publicly commit to humane, ethical treatment of all animals in your care. Please free Rocky from a life confined to a cage.
🌐 Email Addresses:
cookcounty.board@cookcountyil.gov,info@tonipreckwinkle.org,info@forestpreservefoundation.org
Social Post:
Mention or @tag River Trail Nature Center in a post.
Please #FreeRocky, the lonely coyote, from a life in a cage.
This is not conservation—it’s isolation.
This is not education—it’s exploitation.
Rocky deserves space, belonging, companionship, and respect—not a lifetime behind bars.
Please send Rocky to sanctuary.
💻 Sample Email:
Subject:
-
Request for Sanctuary Placement for Rocky the Coyote
-
Concern Regarding the Welfare and Long-Term Care of Rocky the Coyote
-
Formal Request to Transfer Rocky the Coyote to a Sanctuary
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Aligning Animal Welfare Practices with the Nature Center’s Mission
President Toni Preckwinkle, Cook County Board of Commissioners; and, The Forest Preserve Foundation
Please free Rocky, the captive coyote, from a life confined to a cage. This situation does not reflect education, but rather prolonged isolation and exploitation of an animal who has done no wrong.
The Nature Center’s rules clearly state: “Pets are not permitted on Nature Center grounds, including the parking lots.” Yet Rocky, who was raised in captivity and depends entirely on humans, exists in a contradiction—treated as a domestic animal when convenient, and as “wild”, then used for display.
Five minutes of a field trip several times a year traded for a lifetime of suffering. This inconsistency raises serious ethical concerns. If the mission of the Nature Center is education, conservation, and respect for wildlife, then Rocky’s continued confinement directly contradicts those values. True conservation prioritizes the well-being of animals and respects their natural behaviors and social needs.
A reputable sanctuary could provide Rocky with the space, enrichment, and quality of life that align with modern animal welfare standards. We respectfully urge you to transfer Rocky to an appropriate sanctuary and to publicly commit to humane, ethical treatment of all animals in your care.
👩🏻💻 More Contacts:
Forest Preserves of Cook County
Current Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle has publicly mocked CAA and animal advocates for passionately speaking up for Rocky, and she is one of the reasons this very social pack animal is still languishing in a cage all alone in Northbrook's freezing winters.
Thank You
Thank you so much for speaking up for Rocky. Please keep urging the above contacts and checking back in with them to see if they can take some time to make a better life and for animals everywhere!