Family Adopts Lost Baby Coyote After Mistaking It for Cute Puppy
A Massachusetts family got some surprising news after learning the cute puppy they rescued from the side of a busy road was actually an adorable baby coyote.
According to a social media post shared by the Cape Wildlife Center, located in Barnstable, Mass., the coyote was separated from his mother and had dangerously wandered to the side of a busy road when the family spotted him and decided to take him in.
Once they realized that their new puppy wasn’t a domesticated animal, they called on The New England Wildlife Center for help.
“There was no potential exposure risk to rabies, and we were able to clear him for care and granted permission to rehab by Mass Wildlife,” the New England-based center wrote on Facebook.
“This case had a happy ending, but it could have easily gone differently,” Cape Wildlife Center continued, warning readers that some wild animals carry diseases that can be harmful to humans and other animals.
The lost coyote is now comfortably recovering at the Cape Wildlife Center.
“We know you have been waiting for a pup-date on the young Eastern Coyote we have been caring for. Well, we have some exciting news,” says the non-profit.
The center shared they were able to find a sister match for the young coyote. The female pup is about two weeks his junior and is smaller in size than her brother, and the two pups are getting along “swimmingly.”
The two have bonded and can often be seen “wresting and playing with each other, which is crucial to their normal development.” They will be allowed to cohabitate once the female is a little larger.
“Due to the size discrepancy, we are not leaving them together full time yet, but they will spend a couple of hours a day together so that they continue to bond. Once the female is a little larger, they will move into a larger cage together where we will provide natural climbing items, enrichment activities, and regular health checks,” the center wrote.
Their goal is "to raise the pair as naturally as possible."
"When it comes time for release, it is critical that they have the skills they need to survive and have a healthy fear of humans. Having a sibling to model behavior from goes a long way towards maintaining their wild instincts, and we are so grateful that these two bonded so quickly.”