Man saves drowning coyote pup ‘Yip Yip’ while on river rafting trip

A wild coyote pup was taken on quite the southern Saskatchewan river cruise last month.

According to Bonnie Dell, the President of the Wildlife Rehabilitation Society of Saskatchewan, the pup was rescued by a man on a rafting trip on the Red Deer River.

“Justin was on a 10-day rafting trip and day one, heard a commotion on the shore,” Dell told 650 CKOM Thursday.

She says the man paddled to shore to check out the commotion, saying it sounded like a “dog-fight.” With the water levels high and the water murky, Justin kept moving ahead on his trip when he noticed something floating in the water.

“He saw a nose,” Dell claimed. “But he couldn’t tell what it was.”

Yip Yip continues his trek along the South Sask. River, posing on Justin’s raft, enjoying the view. (Facebook/Wildlife Rehabilitation Society of Saskatchewan)

He then reached out to grab him but ended up falling out of his raft in the process. Luckily, the man was able to grab “what this object in the water was,” still unsure of what he was grabbing for.

“He threw this thing into the raft, and it was what he thought was a dead coyote pup,” said Dell.

The man then performed a makeshift Heimlich manoeuvre on the pup, trying to save its life.

“All of a sudden, lots of water came out and (the pup) came back to life,” Dell explains.

The two went to shore and Justin built a fire so they could warm up. He ended up saving his raft and adding a travel companion for the rest of his ten-day trip.

When he was able to get cell service, he called his wife who started to contact different wildlife rehabilitation centres in Manitoba and Ontario. They didn’t have any luck until they contacted the Swift Current SPCA.

When Justin finally wrapped up his trip in Swift Current, he gave over the pup. The Wildlife Rehabilitation Society of Saskatchewan did receive a confirmation to publish his story and photos but weren’t able to grab his last name.

“We haven’t heard from him since. He has no idea that he’s become a hero online,” Dell said. “I’d love to see his reaction when he sees what has happened in his absence.”

Justin named the critter ‘Yip Yip’ on his trip from Lethbridge to Swift Current. Dell explained the reasoning, along with the relationship the two built.

“I believe he was making a bit of noise,” she said with a chuckle. “They shared meals, he slept in his backpack, he wrapped him in his jacket when it was cold. They tolerated each other very well for the ten-day trip.”

Yip Yip ‘wilding up nicely’ in rehab centre

Within an hour of the drop off in Swift Current, Dell says a volunteer with the organization moved Yip Yip over to Moose Jaw. There, he was set up with a rehab facility called “Wild and Care Free.”

That has become Yip Yip’s new home, which he’s become accustomed to.

He was given a new pack in the enclosure, with other coyote pup orphans to keep Yip Yip company during the rehab process.

Yip Yip enjoys the warmth of Justin’s backpack during their trek down the South Sask. River. (Facebook/Wildlife Rehabilitation Society of Saskatchewan)

“He has become so wild that any time (workers) approach the big enclosure, that the coyotes are kept in, they all hide. So, he’s doing what he should do in order to be released in the fall,” Dell explained.

“It doesn’t take them long at all. These guys have an ingrained fear of humans, and they should because we are their enemy. He is wilding up nicely.”

Dell says this past year the rehabilitation society has seen a “disturbing trend” of people finding wildlife and feeling like they’re entitled to keep it. She gave examples of both skunks and raccoons.

“They phone us and say, ‘I’ve had this little critter for weeks, or months, and I don’t know what to do now, he’s too big, I don’t want him anymore’ and by then, they’re imprinted. And really, there’s not a lot that can be done for them,” Dell says.

If you do find a wild animal, Dell encourages you to call the rehabilitation society so they can find the most suitable steps forward to protect both the animal and yourself.