Cholla Attack: Golf Course Workers Save Coyote Pup

An uplifting story from the Arizona Republic's Cecilia Chan on Pebblebrook Golf Course workers saving a coyote pup covered by chollas as its terrified mom looked on.

From Chan's account:

The pup apparently ran headfirst into a cactus Tuesday and was stumbling around in pain when Jose Soto, a Pebblebrook Golf Course maintenance worker, and Assistant Superintendent Shawn Bordine came to the rescue.

Cactus spines pierced at least a quarter of an inch into the pup, its face entirely hidden by the prickly plant, a hand-sized cholla joint clinging to its tail.

“I was shocked to see this little one tumbling over and over and over, covered head to foot with these little chunks of cholla,” resident Gwen Maxwell said Wednesday. “On my goodness, it put me in shock it was so horrible to see.”

A gallery of Ms. Maxwell's photos accompany the story.

Painful viewing yes, but a testament to the surgery by Pebblebrook's finest.