NEED TO KNOW
Firefighters in Florida rescued what they thought was a dog, but later learned was a coyote pup, from a canal on Monday, June 22
A kayaker and a neighbor who jumped into the lake were recognized for helping local firefighters with the “unique” rescue
The coyote pup was taken to a veterinary center and will later be rehabilitated at a wildlife clinic
A recent dog rescue in Florida left some firefighters perplexed.
The Cape Coral Fire Department (CCFD) in Florida revealed on social media that their dog rescue in a canal in Britannia Lake on Monday, June 22, turned out to be a coyote in need of rescue.
Firefighters said two of their units responded to a call about a dog stuck in a canal. When firefighters arrived and attempted to rescue the animal, the creature “swam from shore to shore.”
A Good Samaritan, Denae Judd, who had been kayaking in the canal, offered to help firefighters by monitoring the animal in the water.
The animal eventually crawled under a dock. Judd informed the firefighters of the location, which eventually led to the animal’s rescue.
“Firefighters entered the water and were able to extract what turned out to be a coyote pup from the space,” CCFD said in a statement. “It was exhausted from its ventures and unable to be released.”
The CCFD shared a video of a firefighter wearing a life jacket moving under the dock to catch the coyote. In the footage, the rescuers remove the coyote from a beam beneath the dock, safely capturing it in their arms before moving it to shore.
Cape Coral Fire Department rescues a coyote pup rescued from a Florida canal
Credit: Cape Coral Fire Department/Facebook
Photos from the rescue show a firefighter bringing the coyote pup to shore and a firefighter giving the thumbs-up with Judd, who helped with the search. The CCFD said Judd was presented with a Community Recognition Coin for her “assistance with this unique situation.”
After the rescue, crews took the coyote pup to the East West Veterinary Care Center, which the CCFD said would help coordinate the animal’s safe transfer to the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife, Inc. (CROW).
Coyote pup drying off after its rescue by the Cape Coral Fire Department
Credit: Cape Coral Fire Department/Facebook
The agency shared photos of the coyote getting dried off with a blanket while in a cage.
It was unclear how the coyote pup got into the water and whether any of its pack members were nearby.
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The CCFD noted that a neighbor near the rescue site, Brian, “originally saw the coyote fall in the lake” and even “jumped in after to try to get it!” This alerted his neighbors as to what was happening, and they eventually called 911.
“We weren’t able to get a photo, but firefighters stopped by this afternoon to present him with a coin as well,” the CCFD said.
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