Coyote Found Wandering with Plastic Jar Stuck on Head
Southern California is not typically a place associated with exotic wildlife, outside of the San Diego Zoo. However, many wild animals still call this wide expanse their home in national parks and wildlife reserves.
Residents and park authorities do their best to keep those reserves free of trash and litter. But somehow, one unlucky coyote came into contact with a large clear container and was not able to escape it without human intervention.
The coyote must have been attracted to the food smells emanating from this plastic container.
She stuck her head in, hoping to find a snack. Perhaps there was one, but after supposedly enjoying that snack, she could not get her head back out.
The coyote, named “Lucky” by Steve Large of CBS, was finally captured on Monday, March 5 in Auburn after a 10-day search party held by Gold Country Wildlife Rescue, Sierra Wildlife Rescue, and many volunteers.
She has been transported to Cool Veterinary Hospital, and after recuperating will be released back into the wild.
This poor coyote went viral for getting her head stuck in a jar for days. But the animal has been rescued! @dennis_shanahan talks with her rescuers on @FOX40 at 10. Photo by Lorie Barrett. pic.twitter.com/DfT9mntlJ9
— Ty Steele (@TySteeleNEWS) February 6, 2018
For the ten days Lucky wandered around with her “bonnet.” She was unable to eat and able to drink very little water. She was tracked and followed across numerous cities.
Greg Grimm from Gold Country Wildlife Rescue reported, “We believe she may have had limited amounts, very small amounts, of water because she was witnessed taking her whole head and putting it underwater in a stream.”
They say it takes a village to raise a child. Well, in this case it takes an army of volunteers to catch a hungry coyote.
Luis Escobar is the brave volunteer who initially tackled the coyote from behind, which allowed her to be contained in a crate for transport.
Escobar described the moment: “It was just amazing. Everybody was there, and everybody was ready and responded correctly.
“When I grabbed it, and I held it, it felt really bony like a cat; it was definitely hungry, and scared and probably in shock.”
This would have been a potentially dangerous thing for Escobar to do, save for the fact that her face was covered in the plastic jar. Therefore, she was unable to bite the volunteer when he tackled her.
It is encouraging to see a community coming together to help a defenseless animal. Hopefully Lucky will have a seamless transition back into the wild.
Grimm reports, “She is in stable condition. She has been up and she has been walking around a little bit, and she’s now in a crate with the things that she needs. And we’ll see how she goes for the next few days.”
Let’s just hope this unlucky coyote does not come into contact with any abnormally large food cartons again anytime soon!
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