Dog or coyote? Mystery animal finally identified after weeks of speculation

Coyote escapes shelter a week after arriving and being treated for mange and other infections

A DNA test for an escaped shelter animal came back showing that it was 100 per cent coyote (Wildlife Works / Facebook)

A mystery animal held at a wildlife shelter has been identified as being 100 per cent coyote according to a DNA test taken before the animal escaped.

The coyote confused animal experts for weeks after being found “cold and shivering” in Adams County, Pennsylvania, by resident Christina Eyth, who took the animal to Wildlife Works, a shelter in the area.

Experts couldn’t figure out if the animal was a dog or a coyote and DNA samples were sent off for testing. The shelter announced on Monday that the results came back showing that the animal was 100 per cent coyote.

While coyotes and dogs are similar, coyotes have not been domesticated, and instead live on open prairies, deserts, forests, and mountains. They look similar to some dog breeds but have a sleeker coat and longer snouts.

The coyote escaped from the shelter just a week after arriving. In a now-deleted Facebook post, the shelter said it was “stunned and mortified” that the coyote managed to escape. Morgan Barron, a wildlife rehabilitator, said the aftermath of the escape was “horrifying” – the coyote had broken out of its cage and destroyed the room.

The small animal managed to break open a window and make a hole in a screen to get out. After arriving at the shelter, the coyote spent most of its time lying at the back of its cage looking at Ms Barron. The shelter said the coyote hadn’t previously appeared to be aggressive or distressed and that there had been no signs of earlier attempts to escape, Newsweek reported.

A coyote lies inside a cage on a pile of blankets. The creature was found by Christina Eyth in Pennsylvania. (Facebook/Christina Eyth)

The shelter was still waiting for the results of the DNA test when the coyote escaped. The animal was being treated for mange and other infections when the escape took place. The shelter said the animal might have escaped when its condition started to improve.

Its shy behaviour led many to think it was a dog, but the escape prompted some to theorise that only a wild animal would cause such extensive damage.

The shelter said it “learned a lot from this experience” and that better preparations would be made in future. Local outlet WPXI reported that the coyote hasn’t been spotted since escaping.

The shelter has told the public to stay away from the animal if anyone encounters it.