A visitor to Yosemite captured a “game of chase” between a coyote and a deer, and her video attracted a lot of attention online. The video, set to fantastical music, makes the interaction feel innocent and playful. It may have been the opposite, though.
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“Early morning magic hour in Yosemite Valley,” wrote Instagram user deeedod, the person who captured the video and shared it on Instagram. “Witnessed this coyote and deer interaction while driving into the park. Still wondering if it was a game of chase or not.”
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She added an edit to her original post after it started going viral, saying: “Edit: I wasn’t expecting this to blow up like it did. [. . .] When I pulled into Yosemite Valley I saw a coyote casually crossing the one way road. I stopped for a picture. It was walking along the board walk. It continued walking and a couple deer appeared. The deer began chasing the coyote to protect.” (She doesn’t clarify what she believes it’s protecting.)
Chase or Hunt?
The online community is divided about whether this interaction was an innocent game, a hunt, or something else caught on camera.
“His tail was wagging!!! I swear it was a game!!” one person wrote.
“Hahah the music makes it sound like a magical fairytale forest. But [the coyote is] just hunting,” wrote another.
“[The deer is] protecting her babies! Deer will stomp their hooves when danger is present which you can see her doing, they also send out warning sounds. Great video! Yosemite is such a beautiful place!!” wrote a third person.
Watch a coyote and a deer “play chase” in Yosemite here:
What do you think was happening here between the deer and the coyote?
Header stock image by EyeEm Mobile GmbH/Getty Images
