Kip the Coyote: A Life and Death on Campus
Kip, a coyote with a distinctive limp, became an unofficial mascot on the University of British Columbia's (UBC) Vancouver campus.
He was often seen sleeping in the open, basking in the sun, and hunting squirrels, with his casual strolls across campus becoming legendary.
His limp was a result of being hit by a car in early 2020, first observed on a trail camera in November 2020.
Tragically, Kip was struck and killed by a car near the Botanical Garden in October 2024, but his death provided UBC researchers with a unique opportunity to learn more about his life.
Third-year PhD candidate Iris Li, focusing on the ecology and physiology of urban coyotes, performed a necropsy on Kip at the Beaty Biodiversity Museum.
Author's summary: Kip's life and death reveal the complexities of urban coyote ecology.