'They can quickly get dangerous': Coyote pup walks into Winnipeg woman's home

A Winnipeg woman received a surprise after a coyote pup snuck into her home Wednesday night.

Cynthia Carr, a local epidemiologist, said she was at home when she saw her cat, who was lounging in her backyard, coming towards the door.

“I got up to let her in, and decided to leave the door open for whatever reason,” Carr said. “And I literally walked like 10 steps, and turned around. When I turned around, I saw a blur go by.”

Carr went to investigate and saw a small animal hiding under her table in the corner of the dining room. She thought it was a small dog at first, but said it wasn’t wagging its tail or coming towards her.

“I started looking at pictures, and realized that it very much looked like a coyote,” she said.

Carr called Manitoba Conservation and called a neighbour to help keep an eye on the coyote as she went to look for her cat and ensure it was safe.

“I was just pretty shocked,” she said. “And I was grateful that I turned around at the second that I did because I wouldn't have known it was in the house probably until perhaps it got hold of the cat, which the conservation officer said to me, 'he was probably about to try to make your cat a meal.'”

When the conservation officer arrived and tried to capture the coyote, the animal tried to attack, leaving scratches on Carr’s wall. She had to help open the back door as the officer removed the coyote from the home.

Carr said the animal made a hole in the net while the removal was happening, showing how quickly the situation could have escalated.

“These animals are wild, they can quickly get dangerous,” she said. “We want to stay far away from them both, for our physical safety. And also, as an epidemiologist, I have to mention that wild animals can carry disease that can infect ourselves or our domestic animals.”

Carr said she won’t be letting her animals go outside in the yard after this.

-with files from CTV’s Danton Unger