Shivering coyote rescued from frigid Lake Erie waters

Dec. 28 (UPI) -- Animal rescuers in New York came to the rescue of a coyote found stranded on a log in the frigid waters of Lake Erie.

The SPCA serving Erie County said in a news release that it was contacted by the state Department of Environmental Conservation about a stranded coyote spotted by Coast Guard officers near their Fuhrmann Boulevard station.

Lindsey Wood, the SPCA's chief investigations officer, arrived with her team to find the coyote was stranded on a log tied to a dock.

Wood said the coyote initially fled into the 43-degree water.

"Thankfully, she realized as soon as she did that was a horrible decision and she turned immediately around, tried to crawl back on the log again, and that's when I snared her," Wood told The Buffalo News.

The rescuers determined the coyote was shivering from the cold and was exhausted from being stranded in the water for about three hours.

The coyote was taken back to an SPCA facility and given care overnight. Wood said it was clear the coyote was ready to return to the wild the next day when rescuers discovered her trying to "completely destroy the enclosure she was in."

The SPCA shared video of the coyote being released in a wilderness area at Wilkeson Pointe.