Yosemite’s Latest Viral Star: A Coyote, a Deer, and a Very Strange Chase
A visitor to Yosemite National Park captured a wild moment that’s sparking debate across the internet — was it playful or predatory?
Instagram user @deeedod shared a video of what she called “early morning magic hour in Yosemite Valley,” featuring a coyote and a deer darting through a meadow. Set to whimsical music, the video feels like something out of a fairytale.
But was it a chase… or a hunt? Check it out:
According to the video’s caption, the encounter began when the coyote casually crossed the road. Moments later, a couple of deer appeared — and the chase was on. In an update to her viral post, @deeedod speculated that the deer may have been chasing the coyote to protect something, though she didn’t clarify what.
The internet was quick to weigh in.
“His tail was wagging!!! I swear it was a game!!” wrote one viewer.
“Hahah the music makes it sound like a magical fairytale forest. But [the coyote is] just hunting,” said another.
One user, more sure of the deer’s motivation, added: “[The deer is] protecting her babies! Deer will stomp their hooves when danger is present which you can see her doing… Yosemite is such a beautiful place!!”
Whatever the truth, one thing’s for sure — it’s not every day you catch a scene like this in the wild.
