Cape Coral Firefighters Receive PETA Award for Saving Coyote Pup Trapped in Canal

For Immediate Release:
July 2, 2026

Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382

A Compassionate Fire Department Award is on its way from PETA to the Cape Coral Fire Department for rescuers’ kindness and determination in rescuing a coyote pup who had fallen into a canal in Britannia Lake and was frantically paddling from shore to shore in a desperate but futile attempt to escape.

On June 22, firefighters responded to reports that a dog had become trapped in the canal—but when they arrived, they discovered the animal was actually a young coyote. With assistance from a nearby kayaker, who tracked the frightened pup’s location and alerted rescuers when he swam beneath a dock, firefighters entered the water and carefully retrieved him. The exhausted pup was rushed to veterinary care and is now safely recovering with local wildlife rehabilitators.

“This terrified young coyote would almost certainly have perished if not for the quick thinking of compassionate onlookers and the courageous action of the Cape Coral Fire Department,” says PETA Founder Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA encourages everyone to follow these rescuers’ example by never hesitating to help an animal in danger.”

PETA urges anyone who spots an animal in distress to contact their local animal control agency, a licensed wildlife rehabilitator—or, if necessary, 911—and stay with the animal until help arrives.

The Cape Coral Fire Department will receive a framed certificate and vegan chocolates from PETA.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that when it comes to the ability to feel pain, hunger, and thirst, a coyote is a dog is a boy. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.