White Coat Waste has released a new investigation documenting more than $1.1 million in National Science Foundation funding for experiments on captive coyotes at a U.S. Department of Agriculture facility in Utah.
The experiments, conducted in collaboration with Utah State University neuroscientist Sara Freeman, focus on the behavioral, hormonal, and neural basis of coyote monogamy and the effects of losing a lifelong mate.
Records obtained by the group show the USDA’s Predator Research Facility in Millville captures wild coyotes, including pups taken from dens, breeds them, and holds them permanently in captivity for research that includes deliberately creating widows by killing one member of a bonded pair.
The NSF awarded Utah State University an initial $583,214 grant on December 23, 2024, with the project period beginning April 1, 2025. An additional $548,775 was added on September 18, 2025, bringing the total identified for the coyote monogamy and grief testing to at least $1,131,989.
The USDA approved the related grief protocol in December 2025, which remains active through March 2030 and authorizes the use of up to 78 captive coyotes.
Procedures listed in the protocol include vasectomies, forced restraint, blood draws, brain-targeting drug injections, behavioral testing, GPS and video monitoring, the deliberate killing of mates, monitoring of the surviving animals, and collection of brains after death.
White Coat Waste obtained the protocol and related photographs through a Freedom of Information Act request.
