Teen’s misguided ‘rescue’ of coyote pup leads to its death, Arizona officials say

A teen thought a baby coyote pup was abandoned, so she tried to “rescue it,” Arizona officials say. It then bit her.

“The pup’s mother likely left it unattended briefly so that she could feed,” the Arizona Game & Fish Department reported on Twitter. The incident took place Friday, June 16.

The Sahuarita teen is now being treated for rabies.

The pup had to be put down to be tested for rabies and because it had been separated from its mother for too long to be reunited, officials told KPNX.

“Leave baby wildlife alone,” the agency warned. Officials instead advised Arizona residents to call 623-236-7201 about wildlife in distress.

“While it might be difficult to resist the urge to help seemingly abandoned animals, including newly hatched birds and baby rabbits, a parent is likely nearby and will return once humans have left the area,” wildlife officials said in a news release.

Some animals, such as deer and elk, can’t be returned to their natural habitats after being taken out of the wild, the agency said. Zoos and sanctuaries often don’t have space for them.

Officials urged people to contact a wildlife rehabilitator only “if an animal is encountered that clearly appears to be sick or injured, is unresponsive or lethargic, has been attacked by a cat or dog, or there is evidence that the parent animal is dead.”

Sahuarita is a community near Tucson about 150 miles southeast of Phoenix.

This story was originally published June 20, 2023 at 1:35 PM with the headline "Teen’s misguided ‘rescue’ of coyote pup leads to its death, Arizona officials say."