Just a few days ago, Wildlife Works and thousands of intrigued fans were eagerly following the recovery of a mange-infested canine. Some suspected it was a coyote, while others thought its calm demeanor pointed to a domestic dog. Unfortunately, something shocking happened on the evening of Wednesday, January 26th before the animal’s DNA results could be revealed.
In a since-deleted Facebook post, Wildlife Works announced that the animal they were treating had escaped the facility. A staff member arrived on Thursday morning to find the animal had escaped its cage and left quite a mess behind.
Wildlife Works never expected this outcome, as the animal had been docile while undergoing treatment. He had to chew through window sealing and a screen in order to flee.
“He never acted aggressive or distressed, and there had been no evidence of escape attempts.”
Obviously, the people who just wanted to help this poor animal are heartbroken by the escape. On the bright side, he did receive food and care for at least a week.
“We had him for about a week, during which time he ate nutritious food and received treatment for his mange and secondary infections. We can only guess he was starting to feel somewhat better and decided it was time to go.”
The staff hasn’t given up on this guy, and they’re currently trying to track him and lure him back.
This Is No One’s Ideal Outcome
Baffled and heartbroken, Wildlife Works emphasize that they only ever intended to help the poor animal.
“Hopefully those of you who know Wildlife Works know this is NOT [our] standard of care, and will understand how devastated we are — not just for ourselves but for that poor creature out there in the cold again struggling to survive.”
Sadly, many people felt the need to blame and criticize the organization, which ultimately resulted in them deleting the post, replacing it with this message:
“Many thanks to all the folks who reached out to us with messages of love and support. It far outweighed the nastiness and naysayers. Rest assured we have learned a lot from this experience and will be better prepared in the future.”
The DNA results still haven’t come back, but this escape attempt does make it seem like we’re dealing with a coyote.
Original Post From 1/26/22 Below:
When Christina Eyth found paw prints outside her Pennsylvania home, she followed them to find an emaciated animal with terrible mange. Mange, a skin condition caused by burrowing mites, can make an infected animal look unrecognizable.
This particular animal looked sort of dog-like, but she really couldn’t tell what she was looking at. All Eyth knew was that the poor, shivering animal needed saving.
Eyth successfully lured the animal into her basement, where she kept it until a local foster-based rescue, TJ’s Rescue Hideaway, could come to pick it up.
No matter what this animal turned out to be, Eyth just knew it needed help. She told NBC News:
“I peeked outside the door, and that’s whenever I noticed the animal on my left-hand side, and it was so scared and so cold and shivering. All I could think about is ‘This animal needs help.’”
Dog Or Coyote?
After retrieving the animal, TJ’s Rescue Hideaway scanned it for a microchip. No luck. Still baffled by the animal’s appearance, the rescue then transported it to Wildlife Works, a rehab for wild animals.
Wildlife Works began treating the pup right away for its skin condition. Morgan Barron, one of the organization’s rehabilitators, said:
“They transported it here, it got here, and I’m like, I honestly can’t say definitively what it is. But, to err on the side of caution, since they can carry rabies and since it might be a coyote, we can keep it here, get genetic testing done and go from there.”
Obviously, this little guy really resembles a coyote, but he’s also got the temperament of a domestic animal. Plus, as many have pointed out, look at those puppy-like eyes!
“Behavior-wise he’s very timid, very scared, and not aggressive at all which, his behavior makes me lean towards dog,” Barron said.
The organization sent a DNA sample out to determine “what exactly he is.” The results will take 2-4 weeks to come back, and they’re still eagerly awaiting the answers.
If you’re also super curious about the answer, Wildlife Works advised via their Facebook page:
“Please be patient with us as we wait for the results with you. We will share the results with everyone as soon as we get them!”
You can follow them here to get those updates. You can also donate to Wildlife Works to help them continue their important rehabilitation work.
