Nine rescued coyote pups released into wild near Julian (original) (raw)

Months after they were found scattered around Southern California and raised at the San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center, nine orphaned coyote pups have been released back into the wild.

On Monday, the pups, all about 6 months old, were released on the Eagle Peak Preserve near Julian, in collaboration with the San Diego River Park Foundation.

Orphaned coyote pups are raised at San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center. (San Diego Humane Society)

They came to the wildlife facility at different times between March and May, when they were around 4 to 6 weeks old.

San Diego Humane Society’s Project Wildlife staff bottle-fed the pups at first. As soon as the coyotes were ready, the Project Wildlife team placed them together in an outside habitat and monitored them from a distance to avoid human imprinting.

Staff used various methods to minimize the likelihood of coyotes habituating to humans, including dressing up in coyote masks and fur coats, spraying themselves and the den with urine from other coyotes, and playing sound recordings of wild coyote howls and calls, according to the agency.

Once they were weaned off formula, staff worked to re-accustom them to wild behavior by introducing them to the other pack members in the habitat.

Three of the nine coyotes were discovered under the deck of a home in Pacific Beach on March 27, and two were purchased on Offer-Up by a community member in Riverside County at the end of April.

Another coyote pup came from Jurupa Valley on May 4, where it was cared for by a community member for several days.

The last three pups came from Beverly Hills, Valley Center and El Cajon.

“Since the pups don’t have their parents anymore, the wildlife rehabilitation specialists become the teachers of these young animals,” according to the Humane Society. “Staff practice natural history considerations when helping the coyote pups learn such as: hiding or burying food to find, spreading scents from the ambassador coyotes so they learn how to identify resident adult coyotes in various territories, providing scents from potential prey animals that they might find in the wild, and giving lots of shelter and grassy hiding spots to rest and stay cool in the summer.”

Staff from the San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center release orphaned coyote pups into the wild near Julian on Aug. 26, 2024. (San Diego Humane Society)

Project Wildlife staff used trail cameras to remotely monitor the coyote pups, helping keep human exposure to a minimum.

Originally Published: August 27, 2024 at 1:20 p.m.