Throughout the pandemic, Ontario Premier Doug Ford has been called “Premier Dad” for his empathy and calming tone.
Sure, he’s been criticized for his handling of the COVID-19 crisis, but he’s also gained some support.
On Friday, he turned that fatherly concern to a neighbourhood coyote.
“You know sometimes I tell personal stories and today’s gonna be a personal story kind of not about COVID,” he told reporters.
“But I’m an animal lover,” he continued. “I absolutely love animals. My family loves animals.”
He proceeded to talk about all the coyotes that roam around outside his suburban Etobicoke home and area.
“I walk out and there’s a big coyote outside the house but he was injured, he was badly injured in the back right leg. And so he’s kind of limping along and he went down the side in between the houses and I thought, boy, this thing’s not gonna make it. You know he has to hunt the stay alive and I’m not gonna have a dead coyote on my watch,” he said.
He even called Toronto’s Mayor John Tory, also an animal lover, about it, and also now, the media, urging people to be on the lookout.
“I nicknamed this coyote Cody that coyote,” Ford said. “So anyways, if you see him, we can get animal services call Animal Services. We want to try to help this coyote and get them fixed up. So, sorry for the little animal story but I got a big heart for animals. I can’t let this Coyote, you know, go out there and, you know, not be able to hunt.”
People naturally chattered about coyote concerns while the pandemic fire raged and cases climbed into a Third Wave prompting more lockdowns.
And, then came the good news — at least for one coyote.
Cody the Etobicoke coyote was located.
“Well, I’m pleased to inform you that Cody has been found and is in good health! Turns out Cody is a new mom with lots of other little Codys running around,” Ford tweeted later.
As many of you might have heard this morning, we were on the lookout for Cody the Coyote in Etobicoke.
— Doug Ford (@fordnation) March 19, 2021
Well, I’m pleased to inform you that Cody has been found and is in good health! Turns out Cody is a new mom with lots of other little Codys running around.
Perhaps proving once again, Ford really is Premier Dad.
Doug Ford, defender of the coyote.
— Jase Cole 🏳️🌈🦄 (@pawrapid) March 19, 2021
For the record, there are no photos of Cody the coyote in Etobicoke.
But here’s an urban coyote in Calgary making the neighbourhood rounds this winter.
