Look out, Dog the Bounty Hunter, some canid competition in the form of a canny coyote is helping the Canadian police get their man.
Get their man out of a tree, at least... 'cuz that's where the Ontario Provincial Police in Huron County (about 50 miles northwest of Kitchener) found the wanted perp.
Nothing against the OPP but this particular ne'er-do-well had the odds stacked against him from the first: not only were his footprints clearly visible in the new-fallen snow, he also managed to incur the suspicions of a curious – or maybe just hungry – coyote.
The critter's paw prints neatly lined up with the fleeing suspect, leading the cops to a tall tree where they found a 28-year-old local man perched precariously about 30 feet overhead. The coyote, his (or her) work done, was nowhere to be found.
Being treed by a coyote in the midst of a Canadian winter is no picnic, as you might guess, so the arrival of the fuzz was warmly welcomed by the fearful alleged felon.
While an adult human doesn't have much to fear from an average (aka non-rabid) coyote, you can't blame the OPP for keeping that li'l nugget of info to themselves in this case.
As for the arrested “roadrunner”, he's now languishing in custody facing a variety of outstanding charges including breach of probation, dangerous operation of a stolen vehicle, and flight from police. Now they can add “flight from coyote” to that lengthy list. (via Toronto Sun, images via Yellowstone National Park, David A Mitchell, and Aaron Logan)
