“I’d never seen anything like that before.”
Fore! Golfer’s Ball Stolen by a Coyote Pup in Canada
On a sunny day this month in Burlington, Canada, golfer Jackson Cooling headed out for a casual round at his local course. What began as a typical afternoon soon turned into an encounter he’ll never forget.
Cooling was joined briefly by a couple of friends, but after they left, he continued playing solo — or so he thought.
After teeing off on a par-three hole, Cooling’s shot landed cleanly on the green, setting him up for what looked like a near-certain birdie. But as he approached the green, he was met with a different kind of wildlife encounter.
“I’d never seen anything like that before,” Cooling told The Dodo. “I was just in shock.”
A family of coyotes — a mother and her curious pups — had wandered onto the course. One of the pups took a keen interest in Cooling’s ball and made a beeline straight for it.
Pouncing and playing just like a domestic puppy, the young coyote treated the golf ball as if it were a brand-new toy.
“It was crazy,” Cooling said. “I didn’t know what to expect.”
What happened next was even more surprising: the pup picked up the ball and trotted back to its waiting family. Then, together, they disappeared into the woods, golf ball in tow.
Cooling’s birdie may have been snatched away, but he wasn’t the least bit disappointed.
“I’ll probably never see anything like that again in my life,” he said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”