RAMONA (KGTV)- Myrtle the coyote is recovering at The Fund for the Animals Wildlife Center in Ramona, after the Rancho Bernardo neighborhood came together to help.
Katie Ryan has been watching Myrtle the coyote for years, and sounded the alarm when she first saw the new mother ensnared in a pipe.
Katie guessed Myrtle was trying to capture a small animal that hid in the pipe and she got stuck. It took five weeks of constant phone calls, prayers and sleepless nights looking after Myrtle before she could get a trapper to catch the elusive coyote.
"I can't even describe I was crying and laughing all at the same time," Ryan said, her smile wide. She enlisted neighbors to block off the area, after a failed attempt Monday night due to a man trying to approach Myrtle and scaring her off.
Neighbors said they guarded the neighborhood for hours Tuesday evening, going home with no hope. Then, a few minutes later, Myrtle followed a trail of rotisserie chicken and was caught in a trap around 8:30p.m.
The Fund for the Animals Wildlife Center picked up the coyote that night and sent this statement.
Late on Tuesday night (May 22), the Fund for Animals Wildlife Center received a call from a resident living in the San Diego suburb of Rancho Bernardo that the female coyote previously observed in the area with a tube around her neck had finally been caught. The injured animal was retrieved by the Wildlife Center staff and taken immediately to our facility in Ramona.A snare cable and plastic tubing were removed from the coyote’s neck and she was given pain medication and antibiotics as treatment began. A number of deep abrasions, cuts and associated swelling were evident once the tube had been removed. All wounds were treated with topical medications and antibiotics. She has been sleeping soundly since being admitted last night and our team continues to closely monitor her condition. We are doing everything possible to make her comfortable.At present it is too early to determine if the female coyote will survive her ordeal but the team at the Fund for Animals Wildlife Center remains hopeful. She, much like other dog species (including our own pets), obviously has great resolve for survival even under such trying circumstances. But it is also clear that her overall body condition has been declining rapidly. The timing of her admission to the Wildlife Center could well represent her last chance for survival.In addition to specializing in the rehabilitation and release of coyotes, the Fund for Animals Wildlife Center provides protection and care for all native predator species (more than 800 per year) when orphaned, injured or suffering from a variety of other ailments. The 13-acre facility has helped more than 7,000 animals since 2005 when they became an affiliate of the Humane Society of the United States.For more information and to support The Fund for Animals Wildlife Center, click here[na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com]. For photos of this coyote, click here[na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com].
Overnight, the director said Myrtle slept constantly, ate some food and drank water, which are good signs she is strong enough to recover.
"I think she's a tough little girl and I honestly think that if she's handled the kind of abuse she's handled for the last five weeks, she can handle recovery, she's going to bounce back," Ryan said.
She said the community is still showing incredible support, "we can come together and we can work together, so many different walks of life and it's beautiful I've made so many new friends from this."
More than $3,000 has been raised on the GoFundMe page, and the kind words continue to roll in.
"One of the feeds has 900 plus comments," Ryan said.
Myrtle is also generating new interest in coyotes, driving people to research the wild animals.
"They are very surprised at what they have learned, they see them in a different light," Ryan said.
The Fund for the Animals Wildlife Centerhad their veterinarian in Thursday but have not released any updates on Myrtle's condition, how long she could stay or how much her care could cost.
