Rescued coyote pups on the road to recovery after father shot by police

By News Staff

Four coyote pups, rescued by the Toronto Wildlife Centre (TWC) after their father was shot by police in Scarborough, are almost well enough to return to the wild.

After receiving thousands of calls about, what appeared to be, a sickly coyote in the Ellesmere and Meadowvale road area, police shot the animal on July 23, believing it to be a threat to the public.

The coyote was injured in the shooting but survived.

The TWC said the animal was suffering from mange (a skin disease which causes hair loss) and had been roaming the area searching for food to feed his six pups. The pups’ mother was killed when she was hit by a car.


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Following the shooting, Wildlife officials rescued five of the six pups. The animals were suffering from varying degrees of mange and dehydration. Sadly, one of the pups only surviving a few hours despite emergency medical treatment. It is believed that the sixth pup remained with his father.

Since receiving proper medical treatment the four pups are in their final stages of rehabilitation, the TWC said.

 

The pups currently live in a large outdoor enclosure where they can run and play and develop their survival skills until they are ready to return to the wild.

There continues to be sporadic sightings of their father but TWC officials have yet to capture him or the sixth pup.

“We continue to receive reports of dad passing through the Scarborough area however we are still looking for an opportunity to make a capture attempt. We would love to be able to catch him and help him,” Rescue Team Leader Andrew Wight said in a release on Monday.

“When members of the public see him they should call our Hotline immediately and let us know. The more information we have about his whereabouts the better chance we have of catching him. The same goes for his final pup,” Wight continued.

 

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