FLAMBOROUGH, Ont. – A coyote pup is safe and sound after a quick response by two Hamilton Animal Services employees.
Animal Services received reports from several residents that there was a sickly looking coyote carrying a little pup through their Carlisle neighbourhood.
When Officer Joseph LaMantia and licensing student Katie McLean arrived, they found the pup in a driveway, as temperatures were beginning to fall.
Animal Services manager Kate Beaton said the pup was alert and breathing, but needed medical attention when it was rescued.
“The health and safety of the city’s wildlife is a top priority,” Beaton told FlamboroughToday.
The pup was taken to Hobbitstee Wildlife Refuge in Nanticoke, where it is being rehabilitated. Animal Services says anyone who would like to donate money for its care should consider donating to the refuge itself.
Beaton said the experience has made McLean, who has been a student with the service for five months, consider working there full time.
Coyote mom still in wild
Animal Services says it is balancing concerns for the pup’s mother, which was described as “thin and sickly,” with the risk of taking her away from the rest of her pups.
Beaton said it isn’t common for a coyote to drop its pups when moving them, and said the coyote may have been startled by “an unanticipated interaction with a human, dog or vehicle.”
Animal Services is on the lookout for the mom, but said she is likely nearby in the woods, where there is a ravine, creeks and hiding spots. The service is warning residents not to startle or disturb the coyote, but to report sightings to Animal Services. They can be reached at 905-574-3433.
Beaton reminds residents to leash their dogs, not feed coyotes and keep your compost bins raised.
“Within the month of June, coyote pups reach growth milestones. Patience, distance and avoidance are keys to coexistence,” she wrote.
