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Watch: Mass. wildlife rescue saves coyote pup with container stuck on its head for days
Newhouse Wildlife Rescue was able to remove the plastic container and bring the young coyote back to its family.
A Massachusetts wildlife rescue center freed a coyote pup from a plastic container that had been stuck on its head for at least two days, Jane Newhouse, founder of Newhouse Wildlife Rescue, told Boston.com Wednesday.
A Tewksbury resident had spotted the pup on their property and called Billerica & Tewksbury Animal Control Tuesday after noticing the animal was unable to free itself from the container, Newhouse said. She added that she and Environmental Police were then called in to assist as well.
Together, the group was able to capture the pup and get the container off his head. When they were trying to catch him, he would run and then stop and lay down to rest, Newhouse said.
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“He seemed a bit disoriented … definitely really tired,” she said, adding that the container had stopped him from consuming food and water.
She said that his gums were light, and she could tell he was likely in shock.
Once he was caught, Newhouse said she was able to ease the plastic off his head and assess the damage.
“He just seemed a bit lethargic,” she said. “He didn’t seem to be fighting us. He wasn’t trying to bite.”
As a result, she said they decided to take him back to the rescue to rehydrate. He got better overnight.
“His color was back to normal,” Newhouse said. “He was a lot more alert and responsive, so we brought him back to where we found him.”
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The property owner confirmed that the pup’s family was still around, she said, so they were able to reunite.
“He wasn’t being orphaned by any means,” Newhouse said.
Human interference like this is the reason for the majority of animal rescue calls, she added. Whether it’s being hit by a car, stuck in a dumpster, or otherwise.
Newhouse said this was the first time she’s had a coyote’s head stuck in a plastic container, but she’s dealt with the same issue among skunks and squirrels.
“Animals get their heads stuck in stuff like this all the time,” she said, adding that she was grateful to those who helped her in this case, including the Environmental Police officer and the animal control officer.
“It took a village, but this guy’s life was saved because of it,” she wrote in a Facebook post about the incident.
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