A wayward coyote was rescued from a water retention pond south of Salinas last week. 

The SPCA Monterey County Wildlife Center was contacted about the wild animal stuck in the pond and unable to escape its steep, slippery sides. 

The coyote had become stuck in the agricultural pond off of Spence Road in unincorporated Monterey County just south of Salinas. 

Four staff members corralled the coyote with large nets. He was wet and tired at the time, according to Beth Brookhouser, a spokesperson for SPCA Monterey County. 

The coyote was taken back to the wildlife center Thursday to be dried off and checked for injuries and was reportedly doing well. 

The coyote was released back into the wild sometime Friday after the rain stopped, Brookhouser said. 

It’s the second coyote the SPCA Monterey County Wildlife Center rescued in the last three months, after successfully freeing another stuck coyote in Las Lomas in December. 

A rescued male coyote rests I a kennel after SPCA Monterey County Wildlife Center staff rescued the coyote out of a Salinas, Calif., water retention pond on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. The coyote was brought to the Wildlife Center, was assessed for any injuries and was scheduled for release on Friday, February 7. (SPCA Monterey County via Bay City News)
First: SPCA Monterey County Wildlife Center staff look at coyote in a kennel they rescued. Last: Staff work to get a coyote out of a Salinas, Calif., water retention pond after becoming stuck on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (SPCA Monterey County via Bay City News)

Brookhouser was optimistic that more precipitation after a dry January will help deter animals from looking for water wherever they can find it. 

“Hopefully more rain will allow them to find more natural water sources,” Brookhouser said.