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Young Coyote shows off new coat of hair after recoverring from mange at Witter Wildlife Refuge.
Photo by Author
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Words For Wildlife
by State licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator, James Orr
COYOTE EXPERIENCE
My experience with coyotes is limited having only met two, but the more I get to know them the more they fascinate me.
The first one that came to me was a young pup. He was so cleaver he continually got out of his cage, stole things, and disappeared at will. He eventually released himself by getting out of his cage, climbing onto a work bench, opening a window and tearing through a screen. I figure if he could do all that he was more than ready to take care of himself.
The coyote I am now caring for also came to me as a small pup. He was almost completely hairless with a bad case of mange and was full of bites and covered with ticks. I was afraid he would not recover as he was so weak he refused to eat the first few days I had him. He would not accept a bottle, or anything for that matter from me directly. Eventually he would eat meat scraps I put in his cage but only after I left him alone.
Because of the mange he had to be isolated from the other animals as it is very contagious. It can also be passed to humans in the form of a rash. I had to wear gloves when handling him and wash carefully afterward. It took over a month of medicine added to his food but he fully recovered and grew a beautiful coat of hair as seen in the above photo.
Coyotes hate to be caged and pace continually when not hiding. The two coyotes I worked with were both very shy and extremely afraid of humans. Usually when I work with an animal for any length of time they get use to my presence but not so with the coyotes. They would always hide whenever I entered their space.
When it was necessary to pick one up they would resist but never tried to bite. Once I got a hold of them they immediately submitted to my control. The moment I put them down they started running so fast they looked like cartoon characters running in place trying to get traction.
The young fella pictured got so excited when I moved him to an outdoor cage he slid into a wall and pinched a nerve that resulted in my having to extend his rehabilitation to allow him to recover from the new injury. He is almost 100% and should be ready to release in the next week or two.
Both of my patients took great pleasure in turning over every dish, shredding the newspapers, and basically rearranging everything left in their cage. They also like to hoard treasures in their sleeping box, hiding bones, yogurt containers, corn cobs, toys, etc.
Coyotes eat almost anything and have quite a sweet tooth for fruit or anything with sugar.
Although Coyotes generally go out of their way to avoid human contact they can and will attack small domestic pets on occasion if given the opportunity. They hunt primarily at night but are not adverse to daylight activity. Coyotes hunt in a pack and independently. The “lone” coyote tends to be the more likely to invade human space and poses the greatest threat to cats and even small dogs.
Coyotes can be found almost anywhere in North America accept areas with a resident wolf population. Wolves do not tolerate coyotes in their space.
DONATIONS NEEDED If you would like to help any donation amount it is greatly appreciated. Donations should be made out to Witter Wildlife Refuge and can be sent to P.O. Box 1118, Huntsville AR 72740.
See web page under "HOW YOU CAN HELP" for specific ways you can help us help wildlife
