When a man named Justin set out on a rafting adventure down the Red Deer and South Saskatchewan Rivers in Canada, he thought he was embarking on a solo mission.
Clearly, fate had other plans! Instead, he wound up taking on a tiny passenger he called YipYip.
Yes, that is a coyote pup! Justin was paddling along when he heard what sounded like a “dog fight.” He went to investigate, but when he couldn’t find the source of the sound, he eventually dropped a line and started to fish. Moments later, he heard another squeak and spotted a tiny animal who was barely keeping his nose above the frigid water.
“Justin tried to reach for the animal but ended up falling in the freezing cold water as well,” Wildlife Rehabilitation Society wrote on Facebook. “Luckily, Justin was somehow able to locate the animal – a coyote pup! – in the water AND catch his raft before it floated away for good!”
The pup wasn’t out of danger just yet. By the time Justin pulled him out of the water and onto his raft, the little one wasn’t breathing. Thankfully, Justin knows CPR, so he started giving YipYip a “modified Heimlich maneuver.” Within seconds, the tiny coyote revived and started breathing on his own.
Since Justin was so far out in the wilderness, he couldn’t get a signal on his cell phone to call for help. He knew leaving the pup alone in the wild would probably mean certain death, so rather than place him on dry land, he kept YipYip with him for the next 10 days!
Justin took wonderful care of his unexpected partner, feeding him and letting him sleep inside his jacket and backpack for warmth. When they finally reached a spot with service, Justin made the call for help.
The Wildlife Rehabilitation Society of Saskatchewan took YipYip in, where he joined two other orphaned coyote pups. Once they’re strong enough, they will all be released back into the wild.
Great work, Justin! Thank you for being such a loyal friend to YipYip when he needed one most!
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