SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – On Aug. 7, a pack of coyotes breached Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care’s perimeter fence and preyed on a bald eagle eaglet rehabbing there.

LTWC’s attorney, Alexis Holmes, told the Tribune about the incident on Friday, Nov. 15. “It was devastating for everyone,” she said and explained that the California Department of Fish and Wildlife was notified immediately.

Executive director, Catherine Mendez said the United States Department of Fish and Wildlife Service was notified as well.

“They asked us to work with them directly to basically address some of the perimeter fencing that had previously been deemed compliant,” Holmes said. “There was no known issue with the fence at the time.”

Mendez described the perimeter fence as having electric wiring, a dig barrier, and rebar.

“It was completely deemed safe from all of our state agencies and any other wildlife center that would ever do a tour,” Mendez said. After the incident, she said they immediately began fixing the perimeter to maximize further safety protocols, including reducing the space between rebar.

Holmes explained the facility’s safety standards come from a memorandum of understanding by CDFW.

“Prior to the predation of Eaglet-19, we were already in excess of those minimum standards,” the attorney said.

Holmes told the Tribune the facility is working extremely close with CDFW as a test case as the department updates its wildlife rehabilitation standards, which according to a Notice of Proposed Changes published this summer, has not been updated since 2007.

Holmes said their current wildlife permitting issues had nothing to do with the incident regarding the eaglet.

CDFW has told the Tribune the agency is helping LTWC with the process of reapplying for a wildlife rehabilitation permit after the previous permit holder left their position at the center.

The Tribune is awaiting further answers from CDFW regarding LTWC’s permitting and will provide an update in the future.