He was the first animal to arrive at our center in
the Spring of 1994. Weighing only 2 pounds and sporting a fuzzy
brown coat, he could have been any ordinary puppy. However, his
sharp, little nails, determined growl, keen intelligence, and
heightened sensitivity to his surroundings, were all unmistakable
features of an animal the Navahos call "God's Dog".
With each passing day, his display of a wide range of behavioral characteristics including fear, wide-eyed curiosity, humor, cunning, stubbornness, tenacity and the like, only reinforced the fact that he was not only a coyote, but an individual " a very special individual. And so he came to be "Mr. Coyote Man".
Not unlike domestic puppies, his need for social interaction was constant. For us, keeping contact to a bare minimum was extremely hard; for his sake, it was vital. If only he could have understood that our lack of affection was the best gift we could give him.
A few weeks later, a male coyote pup approximately the same size and age as Mr. Coyote Man, came to the center as an orphan. Throughout the summer they lived, played, and hunted together in a specially-made enclosure. During this period, Mr. Coyote Man grew more and more leery of us. In time, he began to hide when we approached the pen " a normal fear of humans was indeed developing. There remained, though, a flicker of recognition in his eyes. After all, a coyote never forgets.
By late summer, the coyotes were five months old, and weighed twenty-five pounds. We drove them to a carefully researched release site. After setting up a cache of food for them, we put their carrier by a pond. Then, wanting to give them all the space and time they needed to step out into the world, we opened the door, and drove away. We would never see any sign of them again.
A year has passed since that August day when Mr. Coyote Man and his friend were given a second chance to live in a world that is rightfully theirs too. We can only continue to hope that they are healthy and free from harm. Mr. Coyote Man touched our hearts like no other. His memory will always serve to be an inspiration, and a strong reminder as to the plight of the North American Coyote.
Note: Coyotes can be legally shot, trapped or poisoned 365 days a year in Oregon. In fiscal year 1994, the federal Animal Damage Control program killed 6,000 coyotes in this state alone. In November 1994, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife ruled that injured or orphaned coyotes can no longer be rehabilitated.