WHAT IS THAT? Mystery surrounding animal that escaped a shelter finally put to rest
A mysterious animal that escaped the Pennsylvania animal shelter has been identified as a coyote. When the animal was in the shelter, its identity was unknown and doctor thought it was a dog.
A DNA test was conducted to find out the species of the unusual animal and a wildlife hospital in Pennsylvania announced the results of the test, it was just a 100% coyote and not some other species. While the animal had been brought in for treatment in January, it escaped from the facility and has not yet been relocated.
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When the animal was first found by the animal shelter, it was very weak, it was heavily malnourished and have many skin diseases which caused the animal to lose most of its fur. Doctor thought that its skin condition was mange.
Wildlife Works, an animal shelter in Mount Pleasant, is treating the animal and they posted an update of the story on its Facebook page on February 14, 2022. According to the post, it just received the results of the DNA test and confirmed that the animal was 100% coyote. This means that the sick animal is definitely not a missing pet.
They wrote. "The results are in! Our "mystery animal" DNA sample came back, 100% coyote! Thank you again to everyone who has supported us and followed this story. We are so thankful! #wildliferehab #wild #wildlife #wildliferescue #coyote"
Wildlife Works located in Youngwood, Mount Pleasent, is an animal rescue shelter and a charitable organization which was officially opened in 2020 and they specialize in deer, raccoons, mammals, and RVS species. They work closely with vet to provide the best facilities for the animals.
The hospital previously posted about the coyote on Jan. 24, before the animal had been identified.
In the post, Wildlife Works wrote, “We are still waiting for the results of the DNA sample to come in. He is doing much better now and is much more alert than when he came to us last week. He is still not showing extreme signs of aggression but is more on the defensive side.”
The post also included a photo of the coyote, although its species is not clear from the picture. The animal was extremely malnourished and incredibly skinny, making it hard to tell whether it was a coyote or a dog. It was also missing much of its fur.
Towards the end of January, the coyote escaped the facility. It was able to chew through a window seal and screen before making its way to freedom, according to Fox 8 reports. A hospital worker found scratch marks and other damage in the area of the hospital where the animal was being housed.
Workers for the hospital set up traps in the area. They also left nearby barn doors open and provided plenty of hay, hoping that the coyote would take refuge from the cold. So far, it has not been spotted in the area again.