Kelly Ripa encountered wild coyote, tried to warn other hikers: 'I was the town crier!'
Ripa initially thought the animal was a deer as she witnessed it on a path in Palm Springs.
Morning talk show host, Madonna superfan, and actress Kelly Ripa can now add "wildlife emergency preparedness coordinator" to her multi-hyphenate list of careers.
The 53-year-old Live personality revealed on Tuesday's episode of the beloved series that, during a Memorial Day weekend vacation to Palm Springs with husband and cohost Mark Consuelos that she had an initially intimidating brush with a coyote while on a hike in the California town.
"I hiked a lot. I mean, a lot a lot, by myself, because Mark is terribly injured. His foot hurts and he's got a bad arm, it's all a mess," Ripa joked, before recalling the moment she saw the coyote.
Roy Rochlin/Getty Images; Getty Images
Kelly Ripa and a coyote"As I was hiking, I saw something run across my vision field. I was like, 'Oh my gosh,' because I'm from New Jersey. I was like, 'A deer!'" she remembered. "It wasn't a deer, it was a coyote."
She says she contacted Consuelos, who offered to help his wife before she shut him down. "I was like, yes, limp on over," Ripa said.
Related: Mark Consuelos says his crotch sets off airport security machine: 'We're just doing 2nd base'
Consuelos asked if the coyote bothered Ripa, and she laughed it off as a harmless encounter. But, that didn't stop her from trying to warn other hikers.
"He totally ignored me, but, I was the town crier, warning everybody on the path walking their dogs! 'There's a coyote down there!'" Ripa said. "They're like, 'We know, we're from here.'"
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According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, there could be up to 750,000 wild coyotes living in the region. The canine species is responsible for numerous pet and livestock deaths each year, and are known to attack humans. The government agency also notes that they can sometimes pose a risk to airplane navigation as they're known to "take up residence on or near runways."
Live With Kelly and Mark airs weekdays in syndication. Check your local listings for showtimes in your area.
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