Detroit Animal Welfare Group in legal battle with DNR to keep their permit

DETROIT (FOX 2) - A wildlife rehab group in Macomb County is in the fight for their lives as their permit may be revoked.

The backstory:

When FOX 2 first met the Detroit Animal Welfare Group, they were helping a puppy that was burned by boiling hot water heal. Now, they’re fighting to keep their permit so they can continue to help all their injured animals.

Kelley LaBounty of the Detroit Animal Welfare Group spends her time healing injured animals on her 25-acre farm in Romeo.

"It’s heartbreaking. This is, I’ve put my life and heart into this. I purchased this farm," said LaBounty. "We’ve put, you know, I mean close to a million, it’s over a million-dollar farm now with all the work we put into it. Let's say a doe gets hit by a car and has 2 baby fawns, we would take those fawns in and raise them. Mama squirrel gets run over by a car. We take in her babies and raise them. Same with opossums."

Dig deeper:

But lately, she says her work has shifted to fighting the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to keep her wildlife rehabilitation permit.

"I never thought in a million years that I would be in the position to be going to court just to try and save animals," she said.

LaBounty says a few years ago the DNR filed to revoke her permit. But an administrative law judge ruled in her favor, saying that they do good work.

Things changed last week when she received an "Intent to Revoke Wildlife Rehabilitation Permit" again.

"Now they’re filing again to revoke on mostly the same charges that we’ve already went through court for, and paid $90,000 in legal fees," she said.

The charges:

• Having food out that deer can access.
• Having and caring for 3 fawns, which she says needs lots of rehabilitation.
• Having and caring for a coyote that she says was injured and "not releasable."

"The USDA veterinarians come out and do inspections regularly on many of our animals here, including the coyote," she said.

LaBounty says she's already gone to court fighting for these animals. And her farm has the resources to help them.

"There are very few rehabilitators in the state. And very few that have the property and the facility that we have. We have a full hospital here. We can do surgery here. We have a veterinarian. We have a vet tech," she said.

What's next:

But what's ahead, LaBounty says, is a lengthy legal battle. She's ready and willing to fight to keep helping the animals she loves.

"It’s really unbelievable that we can’t work together," she said. "And that two, an animal welfare organization and somebody who manages animals, should be on the same page and working together for the best outcome for the animals."

FOX 2 reached out to the Michigan DNR, and they said the case is being handled by the Macomb County Prosecutors' Office.