Coyote Who Cheated Death In Car Crash Runs Free Again In The Wild

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A hardy coyote named Vern is once again back home in the wild just months after defying the odds by surviving an accident that easily could have claimed his life.

Vern's trouble began in September when he was hit by an SUV near Waukegan, Illinois. The driver who hit him didn't see anyone in the roadway, so he continued for several miles to work. It was only once he arrived that he found the coyote wedged in a small opening near the car's front grill.

Amazingly, Vern survived the crash with just three broken legs. Still, once he was extricated from that tight spot and sent to Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation Center to recover, rescuers weren't sure he would make it - but Vern proved to be a fighter.

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Last weekend, after five months of dedicated care to heal his wounds and regain his strength, it finally came time to return Vern to his rightful place in the wild, reports the Daily Herald.

"The second we let a coyote go, they run like the dickens to get away from us. That's what Vern did," wildlife rehabilitator Dawn Keller told the Herald.

"We couldn't be happier with his recovery, and the physical condition he left us in," she said. "People think releases must be sad moments for us, but they're really joyous moments. Everything we do is with the intention of releasing an animal when it's better."

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