Baby Coyote Taken Home in Massachusetts and Mistaken as a Dog

Could you tell the difference between a newborn puppy, a newborn coyote pup, a newborn wolf pup, and so on?

You would think so, right?

Well, what about if it was walking the streets in a somewhat populated area...or at night?

For one family in the Cape, they did in fact mix up a coyote pup and a lost puppy wondering the streets on a busy road in Cape Cod, according to a Boston CBS Local article.

That is right, a family from the cape picked up what they thought was a stray dog that turned out to be a Northern Coyote pup.

Once the family realized their honest mistake, they called the Cape Wildlife Center who was able to assist.

The Wildlife Center tested the coyote pup for rabies, and will soon be introducing him to a foster sibling coyote from Rhode Island, according to Boston CBS Local.

“This case had a happy ending, but it could have easily gone differently,” the center said to CBS Boston Local. “If the finders had been bitten, scratched, or had extended contact, we would have been mandated to euthanize the pup and test for rabies.”

Let this be a warning to all of New England, especially Massachusetts.

Why Massachusetts more than New Hampshire? Surely there have to be more coyotes in NH than MA...

Nope.

I was shocked to find out that New Hampshire only has an estimated 4,500 coyotes in the state, according to one NHPR article.

"State officials estimate that as many as 11,500 coyotes are living in Massachusetts, and they’ve been reported in every city and town on the mainland," according to a Boston Globe article.

Nearly three times as many as New Hampshire.

Whether you are in Maine, New Hampshire, or Massachusetts, be aware of coyotes and leave them be.