Orphaned coyotes learn to howl from recordings at CA wildlife rehab. See them grow up
Nine orphaned coyote pups finally heard the call of the wild thanks to California wildlife officials’ rehab efforts.
Over six months, staff at the San Diego Humane Society’s Project Wildlife cared for the pups and took special care to make sure they remained wild enough to return to the wilderness “where they belong,” the organization said on Facebook.
“These resilient 6-month-old coyotes are now healthy, strong and ready to thrive in their natural habitat,” the organization said in the Aug. 26 post.
Four of the pups were placed in the team’s care in March after a family collected them from under the deck of their Pacific Beach home, McClatchy News previously reported.
In doing so, the family separated the litter from their mother, who was fiercely protecting the den she’d built only steps from the family’s front door, McClatchy News reported.
While the family was criticizedfor separating the mother coyote from her pups, wildlife officials said it was the “best decision possible under the circumstances.”
The rest of the pups ended up joining the original litter over the next two months, officials said in the Facebook post.
The pups were 4 to 6 weeks old when they landed at the organization’s Ramona Wildlife Center, far too young to survive on their own, the organization said.
Wildlife specialists “bottle-fed the vulnerable pups until they were old enough to eat independently” but were still careful not to let the pups get too attached to people.
“As they grew, they were placed together in an outdoor habitat, where our staff carefully monitored them from a distance,” officials said. “To make a successful release possible, it is essential to keep coyotes wild. The Project Wildlife team employed strategies to minimize the likelihood of the coyotes imprinting on or becoming habituated to humans.”
So what did those special efforts entail?
“Wearing coyote masks and fur coats, using coyote urine sprays and playing sound recordings of wild coyote howls” for starters, officials said in the Facebook post. “Additionally, our staff used natural history considerations to teach the pups essential survival skills, such as hiding or burying food, spreading scents from ambassador coyotes to help them identify resident adults and providing scents from potential prey animals. They also created shelter and grassy hiding spots to keep the pups cool and comfortable during the summer heat.”
Photos show the coyote’s fast growth from wee little pups into adolescents. Wildlife specialists remotely monitored the growing coyotes’ behavior using trail cameras to make sure they were ready for release, the team said.
“When the time came, the nine coyotes were released at Eagle Peak Preserve near Julian, in collaboration with the San Diego River Park Foundation,” officials said. “We’re thrilled to see these pups return to their natural home, where they can thrive in the wild!”
Photos show the release, including the moment one of the coyotes looks back at the people who raised it and made its release into the wild possible.
“Peace out! I’m outta here!” someone joked under the photo.
Several people celebrated the coyotes’ release.
“Back where they belong! Wonderful!” someone said.
Others praised the team for the specialized care it provided the orphaned coyotes.
“That’s so amazing - everything you all do to (ensure) they are healthy, well taken care of, and ready to go back into the wild. I mean fur coats, coyote masks & playing the sounds… True angels,” someone said, adding that the coyotes are “so darn cute.”
“What a great story and effort,” another person said. “...They’re beautiful and ready to thrive.”
This story was originally published August 28, 2024 at 12:02 PM with the headline "Orphaned coyotes learn to howl from recordings at CA wildlife rehab. See them grow up."
