Almost everyone with a driver’s license has had at least one close encounter with an animal, whether you hit it or almost did, but this woman’s experience takes the cake.
Georgie Knox was driving to work like normal in early September from Airdrie, Alberta, Canada, to Calgary when a coyote came across the road. There wasn’t enough time to react or space to safely do so, so Knox kept going. She explained on Facebook that:
“Last week on my way to work in the early morning, a coyote darted in front of my car and I hit it. I heard a crunch and believed I ran over and killed it.”
While no one would like to realize they probably killed an animal with their car, there wasn’t much Knox could have done differently since the coyote “darted” in front of her vehicle. For the next 20 or so miles, Knox believed she had killed the animal; that is, until she stopped.
“Upon stopping at a traffic light by my work, a construction woman notified me that there was in fact a coyote still embedded in my car. When I got out to look, this poor little guy was looking up and blinking at me.”
Instead of wasting time, Knox did what she could for the little guy right away. Her Facebook post continued:
“I notified Alberta fish and wildlife enforcement right away who came to rescue him.”
Amazingly enough, they were able to free the coyote and turn his day around.
Knox let her Facebook friends know:
“Miraculously, he was freed and had minimal injuries despite having hitched a ride from Airdrie to Calgary at highway speeds!”
From there, the Alberta Fish and Wildlife team took over and got the coyote ready to go back home.
“The biologist checked him over and gave him the good to go. They released him in Kananaskis.”
For those who are unfamiliar with the area, Kananaskis is park system to the west of Calgary where the coyote should be able to find everything he needs – without any cars nearby. Knox even included a video of the experts setting the coyote free. Although it is blurry, you can get the point.
Knox concluded her post, saying:
“Clearly mother nature has other plans for this special little guy!”
Oddly enough, this is not the first time a coyote has gotten stuck in the grill of someone’s car.
The Huffington Post Canada article on the story told readers about a similar incident in Illinois back in 2014. At that time, a coyote also went on a ride without the vehicle owner’s knowledge and probably had a terrifying experience, although it turned out OK, as well.
Just because coyotes have survived this type of adventure a few times, however, doesn’t mean that we should be any less careful. The Alberta Environment and Parks website mentions that coyotes are adaptable and have entered cities and towns as people expand into areas that were formerly the animals’ territory.
Although the website explains that “most people seldom see coyotes,” we may still hear them. What happened to Knox was unusual, but finding animals on roads will become more common as humans keep expanding into their territories.
We have to wonder what the coyote in question thought about the entire experience, being hit by a car and transported to an unknown location. He must have been scared, but now the coyote has another chance at life. He should thrive in Kananaskis with all the natural spaces. After all, the park system is truly extensive, and Alberta Environment and Parks chose that release area for a good reason.
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Posted by Georgie Knox on Saturday, September 9, 2017
