Monday, November 23, 2009

A Miracle Coyote

My friend Steve sent me these incredible pictures today and I want you to meet the wiliest of all coyotes: Hit by a car at 75mph, embedded in the fender, road for 600 miles - and SURVIVED!

When a brother and sister struck a coyote at 75mph they assumed they had killed the animal and drove on. They didn't realize this was the toughest creature ever to survive a hit-and-run. Eight hours, two fuel stops, and 600 miles later they found the wild animal embedded in their front fender - and very much alive.

The brother and sister were Daniel and Tevyn East driving at night along Interstate 80 near the Nevada-Utah border when they noticed a pack of coyotes near the roadside on October 12.

When one of the animals ran in front of the car, the impact sounded fatal so the siblings thought there no point in stopping. 'Right off the bat, we knew it was bad,' Daniel explained. 'We thought the story was over.' After the incident around 1am, they continued their 600mile drive to North San Juan - even stopping for fuel at least twice. But it was only when they finally reached their destination at 9am did they take time to examine what damage they may have sustained.

At first it looked as though it was going to be quite gruesome.

'Daniel saw fur and the body inside the grill,' Tevyn East said. 'I was trying to keep some distance. Our assumption was it was part of the coyote - it didn't register it was the whole animal.' Daniel East got a broom to try and pry the remains out of the bumper and got the shock of his life. 'It flinched,' Tevyn East said. 'It was a huge surprise - he got a little freaked out.'

'We knew it was bad': Tevyn East, who was in the car when it hit the coyote, bends down to take a look at the fur poking through the fender.

Fur Pete's sake: What Mr. East spotted as he bent down to inspect the damage to his car - the body of the coyote poking out through the radiator.

Wily coyote: The animal's head can be seen as rescuers took apart the front fender to save it after it was struck by the car at 75mph.

Miracle escape: As the animal struggled, wildlife protection officials put a loop around its neck to prevent it from further injuring itself The front of the car is completely taken apart as the coyote begins to wriggle free.

...And voila! Tricky the toughest coyote ever rests in a cage after its ordeal - which it survived with just some scrapes to its paw. That is one lucky coyote!

4 comments:

  1. Marian, I don't know how you come up with these, but they are marvelous. We consider the Coyotes a scourge, but this little fella certainly deserves to live! Who'da thought! Jack

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  2. I know Jack...what a story and what a miracle! Thanks for coming by!

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  3. The fact that this coyote survived not only the impact but the 600 mile road trip is nothing short of amazing. Next question that comes to mind is did the Utah DWR return the coyote to its home range area or did the rfelease it in the area of the San Juan Swell? Kevin & Helen

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  4. Helen, I really don't know the answer to that. I would think that they release it in the area of the San Juan Swell. Thanks for coming by to visit me and glad you enjoyed the story of this amazing miracle coyote! :)

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Have a Blessed day and please come back! :)