NEW YORK – This wasn’t a normal rescue call for the New York City Police Department.
On Monday, officers from NYPD’s 19th Precinct said they responded to a call reporting a distressed dog struggling against the current in the city’s East River. However, when they arrived on the scene, they quickly realized the struggling animal wasn’t a dog but a coyote.
Video of the rescue shows officers pulling the tired coyote onto a boat to save its life.
“Coyotes are common in NYC, but one swimming in the East River is not,” the precinct said in a tweet.
Police thanked the NYPD’s Harbor Unit and said the coyote was taken to veterinarians, where it is receiving care.
After the rescue, Animal Care Centers of NYC posted a tweet saying the coyote was in good hands and would be released safely back into the wild when she was recovers.
According to FOX 5 New York, this rescue came after another coyote was seen wandering through backyards and city streets in Queens last month.