Nicole Van De Wolfshaar hears a big gust of crows in her backyard on Saturday morning. But looking out at the pool, he saw something unusual.
“I was pretty sure I should add the‘ drowned coyote ’to my to-do list,” she wrote on her neighborhood’s Facebook page, sharing pictures of a coyote swimming in the pool. “It finally came out safe.”
Van De Wolfshaar tells CFRA Live with Andrew Pinsent of Newstalk 580 CFRA that he was drinking some water to make coffee on his barbecue – his energy was still out of the storm a week earlier – when he heard the sound of birds premises.
“When there’s a predator in the neighborhood, the crows start making a big racket to alert other animals,” he said. “We often see foxes in the backyard, so I went out to look at her and I couldn’t see her anywhere. Then I went to the pool and that’s when I saw the coyote.”
He doesn’t know if the coyote fell inside or just wanted to go swimming, but he said he was worried he might get caught.
“Maybe it was the wrong reaction, but I was worried. I wanted to help him. I looked around the yard to find something I could use to fish it out of the pool because it didn’t really look like it would work out.” , he said. “He looked exhausted. I don’t know how long he was in the pool before he saw him.”
Nicole Van De Wolfshaar tells Newstalk 580 CFRA that a coyote found swimming in the pool in her backyard in Ottawa appeared to be trapped, but was finally able to get out and out on Saturday morning. May 28, 2022. (Nicole Van De Wolfshaar / Facebook)
Van De Wolfshaar said he had heard neighbors sometimes see coyotes in their area in Glabar Park.
The coyote was finally able to get out of the pool. Van De Wolfshaar also regained power on Saturday night.
Between last Saturday’s storm, the power outage for a week and a coyote visit, Van De Wolfshaar said this was “the craziest week I’ve had since I moved here.”
Coyote sightings are not uncommon in Ottawa. City officials say they receive about 300 calls a year about them, most for the same animal or for coyotes that have been killed by vehicles. There have also been reports of attacks in recent years.
Although this coyote only seemed interested in taking a bath, Ottawa police and Ottawa regulations have the following tips if you come across aggressive wildlife:
- Never approach or touch the animal
- Do not turn your back on the animal or run away from it
- He backs away, keeping calm
- Get up, shake your hands and make a lot of noise
- Bring a flashlight when walking at night