Coyote takes a dip in backyard pool in Ottawa
Nicole Van De Wolfshaar hear quite a racket from the crows in her back yard Saturday morning. But looking out at the pool, she saw something unusual.
“I was pretty sure I was going to have to add ‘drowned coyote’ to my list of things to deal with,” she wrote on her neighbourhood Facebook page, sharing images of a coyote swimming in the pool. “He eventually got out safely.”
Van De Wolfshaar tells Newstalk 580 CFRA’s CFRA Live with Andrew Pinsent that she was getting some water to make coffee on her barbecue—her power was still out from the storm a week prior—when she heard the noise from the local birds.
“When there’s a predator in the neighbourhood, the crows start making quite a racket to alert other animals,” she said. “We do often see foxes in our back yard, so I came out to have a look to see the fox and I couldn’t see it anywhere. Then I came over closer to the pool and that’s when I saw the coyote.”
She doesn’t know whether the coyote fell in or just wanted to go for a swim, but she said she was concerned it could be trapped.
“It was maybe the wrong reaction but I felt worried. I wanted to help him out. I looking around the yard to find something that I could use to fish him out of the pool because he really didn’t look like he was going to make it out,” she said. “He looked exhausted. I don’t know how long he was in the pool before I spotted him.”
Nicole Van De Wolfshaar tells Newstalk 580 CFRA that a coyote found swimming in her backyard pool in Ottawa appeared to be trapped, but was able to eventually get out and leave Saturday morning. May 28, 2022. (Nicole Van De Wolfshaar/Facebook)
Van De Wolfshaar said she’d heard from neighbours that coyotes are sometimes seen in her area in Glabar Park.
The coyote was eventually able to get out of the pool. Van De Wolfshaar also got her power back Saturday night.
Between the storm last Saturday, the weeklong power outage, and a visit from a coyote, Van De Wolfshaar said this was, “about the craziest week I’ve had since I moved here.”
Coyote sightings are not uncommon in Ottawa. City staff say they get about 300 calls a year about them, mostly for the same animal or for coyotes that have been killed by vehicles. There have been reports of attacks in recent years as well.
While this coyote seemed only interested in taking a dip, Ottawa Police and Ottawa Bylaw have the following tips if you encounter aggressive wild animals:
- Never approach or touch the animal
- Do not turn your back on the animal or run from it
- Back away while remaining calm
- Stand tall, wave your hands and make lots of noise
- Carry a flashlight when walking at night
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.