5 Coyote Pups Who Lost Mom In Hit-And-Run Rescued By South Bay Wildlife Center
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) -- Five coyote pups lost their mom in a hit-and-run last week, but thanks to the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley, they should survive.
Chuck Rossi and Silvia Restelli of San Jose couple noticed the coyote den on their property and set up a webcam to observe them. On Thursday, they noticed the mom was missing and discovered she was killed by a motorist on the Almaden Expressway. That's when the couple called the Wildlife Center for help.
A team of experts succeeded in rounding up the pups and brought them to the center's hospital on Sunday.
"In addition to being orphaned, they were severely dehydrated and covered in fleas," said hospital manager Ashley Kinney who conducted the intake exam. "These coyotes will most likely need to be in our care until the fall."
Kinney estimates the pups to be five-and-a-half to six weeks old.
The pups' mom was the second lactating coyote killed in a hit-and-run this month. So far, there have been no sightings of the other coyote's pups. Anyone who finds them is asked to call the Center at 408-929-WILD.
The Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley receives "up to 60 sick, injured, and orphaned animals per day."
For more information about these orphaned coyote pups and other rescues, go to center's website, www.wcsf.org.
CBSSF.com writer, producer Jan Mabry is also executive producer and host of The Bronze Report. She lives in Northern California. Follow her on Twitter @janmabr.