Family thought they rescued a lost puppy — but it was a coyote, MA wildlife center says
A family came across what they thought was a lost puppy on the side of a busy road and rescued it — but it was a baby coyote instead, according to a Massachusetts wildlife center.
The Eastern coyote pup “was found wandering and distressed” and the family welcomed it into their home before soon learning it wasn’t a dog after all, wrote Cape Wildlife Center in Barnstable May 2 on Facebook.
Then, they called the center about their mistake and wildlife officials arrived to test them for rabies alongside the Massachusetts Department of Health, the post said. Ultimately, officials determined “there was no potential exposure risk to rabies.”
The baby coyote is now being rehabilitated at the center, following the approval of state wildlife officials.
“This case had a happy ending, but it could have easily gone differently,” the post said. It explained how coyotes can contract and carry rabies, a “virus that is deadly to all mammals including people.”
If the pup had scratched or bit the family — or if it had been with them for too long — it would have needed to be euthanized, the center warned, adding that it’s mandated to conduct euthanizations under those circumstances.
In the meantime, the coyote is being taken care of and is set to get introduced to a foster sibling soon, according to the post. They will grow up together at the center after receiving needed vaccines.
“We work hard to give them as much of a natural upbringing as possible, and will work to replicate the essential behaviors and skills they learn from mom and dad,” the center said.
Eastern coyotes roam along the East Coast and are one of 19 coyote subspecies, according to the National Park Service.
Barnstable is a community on Cape Cod, roughly 70 miles southeast of Boston.
This story was originally published May 3, 2022 at 3:38 PM with the headline "Family thought they rescued a lost puppy — but it was a coyote, MA wildlife center says."
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