A wildlife rescue team in Chattanooga, Tennessee recently took on a baffling case after receiving an urgent call about an animal found in distress.
Tory Chang spotted a tiny creature, drenched and trembling after a stormy night, as she drove through a rural area. Initially thinking it was a young fox, she whisked the animal into her car and contacted For Fox Sake Wildlife Rescue.
To everyone’s surprise, a photo of the creature sent to the rescue team revealed it was not a typical fox. Despite the uncertainty, the organization agreed to take the animal in, even though they weren’t sure about its species.
In a Facebook post, the rescue team explained their confusion, noting that while the animal had the facial features and tail of a coyote, its markings resembled those of a red fox.
The rescue named the little one Yoti and began considering different possibilities for her unusual appearance. She could be a mix of domestic breeds like a Shepherd and Cur, or even a rare hybrid of a dog and coyote.
Without a DNA test, the exact lineage remained a mystery.
Unable to keep domestic dogs on-site, the rescue arranged for Yoti to stay with foster volunteer Karen Keeton. Meanwhile, Yoti’s distinct features prompted many people online to speculate about her background.
The rescue team clarified in a post that they were certain Yoti was not a fox, noting her unique brindle markings were linked to genes not found in pure coyotes.
As time went on, Yoti’s behavior presented challenges. She was too wild for a typical home environment, though she didn’t act like a domestic puppy either.
She was eventually returned to the wildlife rescue facility, where her temperament suggested a mix between a coyote and a domestic dog.
After weeks of anticipation, Yoti’s DNA test results finally arrived. While guesses ranged from fox to mixed breed dog to coyote hybrid, the answer was unexpected.
The test revealed that Yoti did have genetic markers from domestic dogs, specifically within the last four generations, likely pointing to a Shepherd-type mix as a great-great-grandparent.
These genes mingled with wild coyote lines in the generations that followed.
Despite this distant connection to domestic dogs, Yoti’s immediate ancestry consisted of wild coyotes.
The plan is to raise her as such, and the team arranged her transfer to Walden’s Puddle, a wildlife rehabilitation and education center in Joelton, Tennessee.
Once she’s old enough and ready to thrive on her own, Yoti will be released back into the wild, her true home.
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