Nicole van de Wolfshar heard quite a racket from crows in her backyard Saturday morning. But looking out of the pool he saw something unusual.
“I was pretty sure I needed to add ‘drowning coyote’ to my list of things to do,” she wrote on her neighborhood Facebook page, sharing images of coyotes swimming in the pool. “He finally got out safely.”
Van de Wolfshar told Newstalk 580 CFRA CFRA Live with Andrew Pinsent That he was getting some water to make coffee on his barbecue—his power was still out of a storm a week earlier—when he heard the noise of local birds.
“When there’s a predator in the neighborhood, the crows start making rackets enough to alert other animals,” she said. “We often see foxes in our backyard, so I came out to look for the fox and I couldn’t see it anywhere. Then I came closer to the pool and that’s when I saw the coyote.”
She didn’t know whether the coyote had fallen or just wanted to go swimming, but she said she was worried it might get stuck.
“It was probably the wrong reaction but I was feeling worried. I wanted to help him. I was looking around the yard to find something I could use to get him out of the pool because he didn’t really look like he was going to make it out,” she said. “He looked tired. I don’t know how long he was in the pool before I could see.”
Nicole van de Wolfshar told Newstalk 580 CFRA that a coyote she found swimming in her backyard pool in Ottawa was trapped, but was eventually able to get out and leave on Saturday morning. May 28, 2022. (Nicole van de Wolfsher / Facebook)
Van de Wolfshar said he heard from neighbors that coyotes are sometimes seen in his area at Glauber Park.
The coyote was finally able to get out of the pool. Van de Wolfsher also got his power back on Saturday night.
Between last Saturday’s storm, a week-long power cut, and a coyote trip, Van de Wolfsher said, “I’ve had the weirdest week since I was here.”
Coyote sightings are not uncommon in Ottawa. City employees say they get about 300 calls a year about them, mostly for a single animal or for coyotes killed by vehicles. There have also been reports of attacks in recent years.
While this coyote was only interested in taking the plunge, the Ottawa Police and Ottawa Bylaws have the following suggestions if you encounter aggressive wild animals:
- Never approach or touch an animal
- Do not turn your back or run away from the animal
- keep calm back
- stand tall, shake your hands and make a lot of noise
- Carry a flashlight while walking at night
