Coyote gets loose in Port Townsend hospital

Port Townsend — A coyote wandered into Jefferson Healthcare Center Tuesday morning, according to a report from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.

The coyote was first spotted by Amy Yaley, the hospital’s marketing and communications director, around 10:15 a.m.

“It was hard not to notice, I was sitting in a meeting area outside the cafe,” Yaley said.

The animal entered the hospital through the facility’s automatic doors and meandered down the hospital’s express clinic. It then ran down a hallway and broke through a glass panel trying to get out.

It eventually tried to hide in a corner of the hospital’s outdoor courtyard.

No one was harmed, but the coyote injured itself from breaking the glass and had cuts on its snout, said Detective Sergeant Brett Anglin of the sheriff’s office.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Port Townsend Police Department, and Center Valley Animal Rescue were called to the scene shortly after the animal was spotted.

The hospital’s operations were not impacted by the unexpected visit, Yaley said.

“The animal had sat down and started resting, the situation could’ve been much more difficult had it gone somewhere else,” Anglin added.

Animal Control Deputy Erik Allen of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office caught the coyote with a net before it was sedated.

“Center Valley Animal Rescue came and assessed the situation, went in, and sedated the animal without any problems,” Yaley said. “It was a pretty big coyote, and took a while to sedate.”

Around 11:30 a.m., the coyote was taken to the animal rescue’s veterinarian to treat its injuries.

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