Coyotes: They’re just like us!
A YouTube video posted Friday shows a coyote in Ontario, Canada, frolicking in sheer euphoria after it managed to get its paws on a dog toy.
“I saw this guy playing on the hill while I was getting ready for work,” YouTube user "Evnissyen" wrote. “It's pretty rare to see a coyote this close to the house at all, and totally unexpected to see one playing with the neighbour-dog's ball in broad daylight!”
Though some people believe seeing a coyote during the daytime indicates the animal is rabid, this is not necessarily the case, according to The Humane Society of the United States and the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
That said, it’s still wise to view coyotes from a safe distance and not let your pets outside unattended in areas where the wild animals are known to roam.
But as the animal-centric news site The Dodo notes, coyotes have a lot more to fear from human beings than we do from them. Coyote killing contests are still popular throughout parts of the United States and Canada.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services shoots tens of thousands of coyotes from planes each year, largely to protect livestock, though the practice has drawn harsh criticism from wildlife advocates.
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