Saskatoon coyote carcasses sent to U of S for disease testing

The carcasses of two coyotes that were euthanized last weekend by Saskatoon police officers have been sent by the Ministry of Environment to the Canadian Wildlife Health Co-operative at the University of Saskatchewan for testing.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety, the two dead animals are now being tested for a variety of diseases and illnesses, including rabies and distemper.

On Saturday morning, Saskatoon police officers were called to the 600 block of Feheregyhazi Boulevard in the Aspen Ridge area after someone spotted a coyote lying in an alley, acting strangely.

Then just after noon on the same day, police were called out again to the Sutherland Dog Park for another report of a sick coyote acting abnormally.

Both animals were euthanized.

A short time later, another coyote was seen behaving strangely, but police weren’t able to catch it.

Preliminary results could be released within a couple of weeks, but in the meantime, conservation officers and police are asking pet owners to be especially careful around dog parks, and to keep their pets’ vaccinations up to date.

Anyone who encounters a coyote that is acting abnormally is asked to contact police immediately, or call 911 in an emergency.