Wild animals like coyotes are extremely shy and often afraid of humans, which is why one sick and injured coyote ran from a team of rescuers for three long days.

After a coyote that appeared to be sick was spotted at an Ottawa, Canada golf course, The Rideau Valley Wildlife Sanctuary immediately went out and set traps to help catch him. Yet even though the coyote, who had been hit by a car, was struggling to walk, he managed to escape the traps for three days.

Thankfully, however, the team managed to catch him just in time on the third day. “He was in really rough shape when he first came to us,” said Sarah Beauregard, animal care coordinator from the sanctuary. “We didn’t think he would make it through the first night.”

After being hit by a car, the coyote was suffering from a broken pelvis and had a severe case of sarcoptic mange, a skin parasite that destroyed his fur and would have made it impossible to survive the cold winter. “The thing that really gets me is his eyes,” Beauregard says. “Even when he was at his worst, there was a brightness and hopefulness about them.”

“He is a sweetheart. Coyotes are shy and timid by nature, but he seems to trust us and know that we are trying to help him.” And since gaining back strength from his treatment, he hasn’t stopped smiling for the people who he now knows saved him. Eventually, the team hopes to return him to the wild when he is strong enough, so they have to be careful to not spend too much time with the friendly animal. “We are keeping human contact to an absolute minimum so that he does not grow attached to humans,” Beauregard said.

Can you believe it took three days to capture this injured coyote? Let us know what you think in the comments below, and please SHARE this with friends on Facebook.

[Featured Image: Rideau Valley Wildlife Sanctuary]