Driving down the road in Yellowstone National Park, you may catch a glimpse of a familiar furry face: Limpy the Coyote. The recognizable character makes an appearance during the winter and summer months, hobbling along the roads to Lamar and Soda Butte, barely putting any weight on his left rear leg. People worry that the maimed coyote had been hit by a car, according to Tourons of Yellowstone.
The Instagram page wrote that last the story goes, he was likely hit because he discovered that roaming up and down the road would get him food from tourists. Unfortunately his plan worked, and people have been feeding the coyote as they drive by.
A sad, hungry, lonely-looking coyote draws plenty of attention, and tugs on the heartstrings of animal lovers everywhere. But here's where Limpy's story gets interesting. Apparently, once cars get far enough down the road, Limpy's injury seems to miraculously heal, returning to a normal gait until the next gullible human drives by.
Now that's not to say that Limpy wasn't legitimately injured at one point. While many wildlife photographers propel the story that Limpy was struck by a vehicle, one tour guide and author has a different story.
Douglas Scott, author of "Beyond the Boardwalk: 50 Incredible Hikes in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem," wrote about Limpy last year on his site The Outdoor Society.
In the October 2023 post, Scott said that during the winter walk through Yellowstone, he saw the coyote sneaking up on a wolf's bison kill in the hopes he could sneak some food unnoticed.
Unfortunately, the wolves not only spotted him, but also attacked him, injuring the coyote's rear leg. Scott wrote that the coyote was clearly in pain, but otherwise seemed to be doing alright.
When summer hit, Scott saw a limping coyote off in the distance. He was the same size with the same leg injured. While still limping, the coyote seemed to be doing well, and was thus dubbed "Limpy."
Scott wrote that many people claimed Limpy the Coyote was faking the injury, while others worried that he would be hit by a car since he was always so close to the roads. Scott even wrote that people wanted rangers to put the poor coyote down "so he wouldn't suffer."
Wildlife photographer Isabella Smelly shared a different story in her recent Facebook post about Limpy, who is sometimes also called "Tripod." In the post she writes, "The story (legend, maybe) of his fame began when someone fed their dog on the side of the road in Yellowstone and left some kibble. Coyotes are opportunists, so Tripod, true to his species, was eating the kibble near the road, when he was hit by a car. Humans once again putting wildlife in danger. The incident happened 4-5 (maybe more) years ago and Tripod not only survives, but thrives."
She goes on to say that she and other photographers have seen him out hunting with barely a limp, but as soon as a car comes, the coyote puts it on heavily.
While it might not be clear how it happened, it's obvious that at some point, Limpy was severely injured. It is abundantly clear that he has learned to use his injury to garner favor with those visiting the park. The National Park Service emphasizes that no one should be feeding animals in the park, no matter how needy they look. It leads to habituation and dependency on human, putting animals lives in danger over time.
Coyotes are opportunistic eaters though, and it's clear that Limpy is going to take full advantage of any and all sympathy thrown his way, even if he has to exaggerate to get it.
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