Coyote's Cause of Death

The necropsy report for Hal, the coyote whose visit to Central Park confounded authorities (of the animal control kind), transfixed NYers, and then died while being tagged for transport upstate, has been released and The Smoking Gun has it. While some people wondered if rough handling caused his death, it turns out that Hal was "greatly compromised," with his heart's right ventricle severely infected by heartworms and traces of rodenticide found in his system, causing hemmorhaging. The pathologist's diagnosis is essentially that he was very sick from the heartworms, and the stress of being readied for release contributed to his demise. It's unclear, then, if the state's Department of Environmental Conservation is truly responsible for Hal's death or if there will be any new procedures for the capture, tagging and release of animals on the loose. Updated: The DEC also had a statement that added, "...Hal's death is unfortunate, and in the hopes that similar situations can be prevented in the future, DEC is reviewing procedures for handling, tagging and releasing coyotes and will revise them if necessary to minimize handling stress." Which is good - and we hope that this goes for the procedures when handling, etc., other animals as well.