Six animals were killed by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) after they were confiscated from an Emmet County farm, where the agency says the owner did not have a permit to rehabilitate the animals.
“Kei Ju Farm, located in Petoskey, is widely known for its open-door policy for both community members and animals,” Petoskey News reported. “This year, the DNR received a complaint about owner, Julie Hall, rehabilitating wild animals on the farm. The farm is not a Michigan Licensed Rehabilitation facility.”
Hall was also slapped with a misdemeanor charge of holding wild animals in captivity without a permit.
“That Thursday, the DNR rolled in with four trucks. They knew exactly where all the animals were,” Hall said. “They killed the deer right here on the spot.”
Hall reportedly took in the deer last fall, when it was two weeks old. She raised it in a pen on her farm, and helped it gain strength by feeding it milk from her goats.
“She was jumping in and out of the fence and she had other deer friends up here behind us. In fact, the following week, the little deer friend that she was playing with up there kept coming around the pen and coming around the pen and looking for her,” Hall reportedly said.
But that activity – without proper licensure – is frowned upon by state authorities.
“What happens is the wildlife is raised, sometimes if you let it go, they become a nuisance or even a disease issue here,” said Lt. Jim Gorno of the DNR. “Last fall, or a year and a half ago, there was a tamed whitetail buck that was in the Petoskey area that was causing issues.”
“When it gets to mating season, it can be very dangerous to people and other animals,” he continued. “This buck was found and had to be euthanized because it was a danger to the public.”
The DNR also confiscated a raccoon and a one-legged crow from Hall’s farm.
The state says there is a process for becoming a Michigan Licensed Rehabilitation facility. It involves applying for a permit, and allowing wildlife authorities to inspect the property to make sure the owner has the correct equipment for rehabilitating animals.
Hall claims she was in the process of obtaining such a permit before she was charged with the crime, but does not know whether she’ll be able obtain one now.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a contributor at The Michigan Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Kei Ju Farm and Rescue” by Kei Ju Farm and Rescue.
