A Canadian woman took to Facebook to share the miraculous story of a coyote she encountered and people are marveling at the resilience of this wild animal. The woman, Georgie Knox, lives in Airdrie and regularly commutes to Calgary for work in the early morning. She said that it was during this commute that something horrible happened.
“A coyote darted in front of my car and I hit it,” Knox said on Facebook. “I heard a crunch and believed I ran over and killed it.”
To the dismay of others on Facebook that came across her story, Knox didn’t stop to check on the coyote to see if it was badly injured or if it could be helped. She continued on her commute and it wasn’t until at least 20 miles later that she made a surprising discovery.
“Upon stopping at a traffic light by my work, a construction woman notified me that there was in fact a coyote still embedded in my car,” Knox said, sharing a photo of the coyote. “When I got out to look, this poor little guy was looking up and blinking at me.”
To Knox’s disbelief, the coyote had not only survived the immense impact of the car hitting him but also managed to handle being transported in the grill of the car for dozens of miles at highway speeds. This coyote certainly defied the odds and was more than ready to be relieved of his uncomfortable position in the car.
Knox called the Alberta Fish and Wildlife Enforcement to come help the coyote out of his predicament, and they arrived soon after. It’s important to remember that all wild animals, no matter how adorable or vulnerable they look, should always be handled by professionals. Wild animals can attack at any time, and are even more likely to do so if they are panicked and fearful.
What’s even more miraculous about this coyote’s story of survival is that he sustained only minor injuries in his run-in with the car. After being carefully removed from the car and being checked out by a biologist, the coyote was released in Kananaskis, a park system west of Calgary.
“Clearly Mother Nature has other plans for this special little guy!” Knox wrote.
Hopefully this coyote will be able to make his way back to his den or adapt to life where he was released. As Alberta’s park department says on its website, “The coyote has been able to adapt to many of the changes brought about by man.”
Though many commenters on Knox’s post have expressed anger at her not stopping immediately upon hitting the coyote, others have expressed gratitude at her prompt handling of the situation once she had been alerted to it. Others may have killed the coyote on the spot, as many view coyotes as pests, or even left the coyote there until they had time to deal with it. Thanks to Knox, the construction woman, and the Alberta Fish and Wildlife, this coyote was able to return back to life in the great outdoors.
