Coyote caught on barbed wire fence (GRAPHIC)

This morning around 10:30 WES received a call from the superintendent of Coyote Creek Golf Club in Morgan Hill, CA. He and his crew had freed a coyote that had gotten hung up on a barbed wire fence, presumably overnight. It had a severe injury to its leg and was not able to run off.

They'd been making calls all morning, looking for help, and no one was willing to respond - we were their 7th phone call! Unfortunately, this is very common, not just in California but across the US - there are very few trained and equipped first responders for wildlife emergencies.

When WES' response team arrived, they found the coyote hiding in tall grass. They approached slowly. The coyote made a brief attempt to get away, but could barely move. It was easily scruffed and moved to an awaiting crate for transport to a local wildlife hospital.

Watch the rescue video below:

Once at the Wildlife Center for Silicon Valley, medical staff sedated the animal to get a better look at its injury. 

The male coyote looked larger, but weighed in at 20 pounds. They estimated it to be about 4 years old. Unfortunately, it had suffered tremendous damage to its leg - the tendons had been severed, there was nothing that could be done. It was humanely euthanized.

Please check out these PDFs on best fencing to keep livestock and wildlife safe:

Fencing With Wildlife In Mind

Wildlife Friendly Fences

Predator Fencing


Scroll to view the image of the coyote as it was found in the fence. WARNING: GRAPHIC