Geordie Knox from Airdrie, Alberta, Canada, was on her way to work when a coyote darted in front of her car.
She wrote on Facebook that she hit the animal, heard a crunch, and thought the coyote was dead. However, a traffic officer asked her to stop and told her that the coyote was alive and “stuck” in her car.
“When I got out to look, this poor little guy was looking at me,” the woman adds.
She admits she had “raced” about 35 km from where she hit the animal. The coyote was freed and taken to a nearby vet. Knox says she’s happy the story has a happy ending but also uses the incident to remind drivers to be more cautious on the roads.
“I think people need to slow down,” she told CTV News. “You never know what’s going to run out in front of you.”
“To our pleasant surprise, he was released and only had a few cuts and bruises,” Ms. Knox said with relief.
A biologist certified that the animal was healthy and later let go in Kananaskis County at the base of the Rocky Mountains. It is about 100 km from downtown Airdrie.
“Mother Nature has other plans for this guy,” concluded Geordie Knox.
Coyotes are a typical species in Alberta. They usually grow to be slightly larger than common foxes. They are considered pests by some people because they might prey on livestock and pets. On the other hand, others believe that they play an essential role in the ecosystem by controlling the population of small mammals.
Knox says she contacted Alberta Fish and Wildlife after the incident to ask what to do if she ran into a coyote again.
The agency advised her to “remain calm and back away slowly” if she ever encountered one. It also said that people should never try to approach or touch a coyote, even if it appears friendly.
