Coyote Pup Goes On 10-Day Rafting Adventure After Nearly Drowning And Receiving CPR

By Anthony McLennan / Truth Theory

A Canadian adventurer discovered a drowning coyote pup, resuscitated it and then nursed it back to health while completing his river rafting journey.

Known only by his first name, Justin, the man was taking a lengthy solo trip down the Red Deer and South Saskatchewan Rivers when he came across the pup in distress.

While taking a break from paddling to do a bit of fishing, he became aware of a commotion, but was unable to identify it.

He then realized that some kind of animal was battling to keep its head above water in the river although it was too dark to clearly see what it was.

On closer inspection he found it to be a tiny coyote, and he managed to rescue it despite falling into the icy water himself.

Back from the dead – coyote pup gets new life breathed into it

At that point, it didn’t look good for the tiny creature, which was reportedly no longer breathing.

The rescuer however refused to give in and managed to bring the pup back to life through CPR. He also built a fire to warm it up.

Not able to get any help while isolated out in the wilderness, Justin kept the coyote with him for another 10-days.

“The little pup would eat with Justin, cuddle in his jacket, and sleep in his backpack while they rafted down the river. Justin ended up naming the little guy YipYip and took really good care of him throughout the trip,” read part of a post on the Wildlife Rehabilitation Society of Saskatchewan Facebook page. 

Finally, their journey together ended when Justin got back to civilization and contacted the Swift Current SPCA, who referred the pup to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Society of Saskatchewa.

They were happy to take little YipYip in and placed it with two other orphaned coyote pups. As soon as they’re ready the coyotes will be released back into the wild.

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We have a really amazing coyote pup rescue story to share today! 😍 Our caller Justin was on a multi-day raft trip down the Red Deer and South Saskatchewan Rivers when he heard a commotion coming from somewhere along the shoreline. He said it sounded like a dog fight so he parked his raft and hiked up to a higher elevation to investigate. However, he wasn’t able to see anything so he went back to his raft to go fishing. While he was fishing, he heard something in the water squeak – and that’s when he saw some sort of animal swimming in the river! It’s nose was barely above the water and the water was so dark and murky that Justin couldn’t initially tell what kind of animal it was. Justin tried to reach for the animal but ended up falling in the freezing cold water as well. Luckily, Justin was somehow able to locate the animal – a coyote pup! – in the water AND catch his raft before it floated away for good! Unfortunately, when Justin brought the animal back to his raft, the little coyote pup was unconscious and didn’t seem to be breathing. The pup was lucky yet again as Justin had experience with CPR and was able to do a modified Heimlich manoeuvre by pushing on its belly. After a few pushes, water squirted out of the coyote’s nose and he was breathing again! As Justin was rafting and had limited service over the next 10 or so days, he kept the coyote with him and cared for him the entire time! Justin ended up naming the little guy YipYip and took really good care of him throughout the trip. Eventually, Justin was able to find a place where he could get service and call his wife for advice. Initially, they contacted organizations in Ontario and Manitoba, before they connected with the Swift Current SPCA who got him in touch with us! Our amazing volunteer Samantha in Swift Current helped coordinate the transfer and now YipYip is with our wonderful rehabber Melanie. He will be taken care of until he is old enough to be returned to the wild! If it wasn’t for the wonderfully caring Justin, little YipYip would have perished in the river. To use this content, media outlets must contact Naomi@tmx.news

A post shared by Wildlife Rehab Society of Sask (@wrsosaskatchewan) on Jul 14, 2020 at 8:16am PDT

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Image credit: Wildlife Rehabilitation Society of Saskatchewa

Written by: Anthony McLennan

I’m an experienced journalist who has written for some of South Africa’s biggest publications. Also a photographer, soccer coach, dog-lover and surfer, I enjoy spending time outdoors in beautiful Cape Town. I believe that a new approach is needed to sustain our planet and that it is important to put this message out. Read More stories by Anthony McLennan