CASPER THE BRAVE: Hero sheepdog recovering after killing EIGHT coyotes who tried to attack his flock
ATLANTA, GEORGIA: A brave sheepdog is on the road to recovery after killing eight coyotes in a bloody encounter while guarding his herd of sheep and goats in November.
Casper was keeping an eye over his flock one night at his owner John Wierwiller's farm in Decatur, just east of Atlanta, when a pack of nearly a dozen coyotes approached. The two-year-old Great Pyrenees killed a whopping eight coyotes in the group and managed to save all the animals under his care. However, the pooch himself was severely injured in the process, as per the The Daily Mail.
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Casper reportedly went missing for two days after the fight. "We knew he was hurt because we found parts of his tail and blood and other things, so we were worried," Wierwiller told Fox 5 Atlanta. Fortunately, the canine eventually showed up with gaping wounds on his neck and side. "He was kinda looking at me like, 'Boss, stop looking at how bad I look, just take care of me,'" Wierwiller explained, adding, "It looked like a coyote grabbed his skin and peeled it right off." The LifeLine Animal Project, an organization dedicated to ending the euthanasia of healthy animals, subsequently stepped in to help raise money for Casper's hospital bills.
The loyal and brave sheepdog is still under the care of the veterinary staffers at the non-profit organization more than a month after the attack. At one point, they were worried that recovery would not be an option for the two-year-old. “How bad are these wounds, and is it something that can be fixed? Or is it something that is beyond fixing? You know, that is what makes the quality of life an issue,” Katrina Coleman, a vet tech at Lifeline Animal Project, told Fox 5 Atlanta. However, Casper beat the odds and healed better than the vets expected. "I can't even explain how good it is to see him right now, because I felt like there was no way he was going to live when I saw him (after the attack)," Weirville gushed to WBTV.
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While it is not uncommon to see Coyotes wandering around in the area, it is rare to see so many running together in a pack, according to the Atlanta Coyote Project, which monitors their movements. "This is extremely unusual behavior for coyotes, and we suspect that there might be extenuating circumstances," Chris Mowry, a professor of biology at Berry College, told WANF.
"In this particular situation, the only thing that makes sense is if there was a large litter this year and the pups hadn't yet dispersed. This could potentially make sense if there are lots of resources available, which sounds like it might be the case in this area of Decatur," Mowry added. That said, Casper will spend several more weeks under the care of the LifeLine Animal Project before he can return home. A GoFundMe launched by the group to cover the hospital bills has already exceeded its $15,000 goal and the remaining funds will be used to save more animal lives in the future.
