“Did you know that coyotes put out fires?”

08 May 2011 2 Comments

by yipps:janetkessler in coyote behavior

I could not believe this when I read it in Hope Ryden’s book: God’s Dog, page 144. The man asking the question had been smoking a cigarette, which is what probably prompted the question to Hope as they observed a coyote. “Did you know that coyotes put out fires?” The man proceeded to set an envelope on fire with his cigarette and tossed it in the coyote’s direction. The coyote quickly “pounced on it, and began drumming the flames with her forefeet while bouncing on and off the blaze until only the edges still had sparks”. The fire wasn’t out yet, so the coyote, with its shoulder, pushed the scrap of paper with embers against the ground, then stood up to examine it, and repeated this again. The fire was now out. Apparently all coyotes put out fires — small fires. Wow!!

2 Comments (+add yours?)

RKB
May 08, 2011 @ 09:00:00

This is quite amazing! I wonder if it’s a learned behaviour or an instinctive one.

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gail carswell
Mar 31, 2013 @ 03:06:58

I read this and truly believe it. Coyotes will put a fire out with their paws and when it is not possible to only use their paws they will roll in the fire to put it out— when that is not possible they will run and yip and warn all other animals

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