Coyote With Broken Leg Rehabilitated, Released In San Diego County

RAMONA, CA — A coyote pup with a broken leg was rehabilitated and released back to the wild this week, thanks to the San Diego Humane Society.

The male coyote was released Monday near Palomar Mountain in northern San Diego County, along with five other coyotes that were cared for by the organization's Ramona-based Project Wildlife program.

When the coyote came to Project Wildlife in May, the veterinary team noticed the pup was not putting weight on his back right leg. They sedated the animal for an exam and radiographs, and discovered his tibia bone was broken at an angle.

"For any hope that this little guy would ever return to the wild, we had to get creative," Andy Blue, campus director of Ramona Wildlife Center, said in a statement. "Our veterinary team placed a lateral splint and conducted daily visual rechecks so the coyote's bone could heal."

Once healthy enough, the coyote was moved to an outdoor enclosure where he was introduced to a group of similar-aged coyote pups. The team monitored the pup on video cameras to make sure his health improved.

"While still limping slightly in June, the coyote was jumping, running and playing," Humane Society spokesperson Jordan Frey explained in news release. "Since then, he's gotten better and stronger, displaying behaviors needed to thrive in his wild home, until he was ready for release."

Each year, the Humane Society gives more than 10,000 injured, orphaned and sick wild animals a second chance. In 2020, the Humane Society opened the Ramona Wildlife Center, where they specialize in caring for native apex predators and birds of prey, including eagles, hawks, owls, bears, bobcats, coyotes, and, under special pilot authorization, mountain lions.