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At 12:17am my mother started a group text to the family. Naturally, I was alarmed due to the hour. I mean, I’m an avowed night owl, and so is Mama Kismet, but she included several other family members who she knew would be fast asleep at midnight. What, pray tell, was so urgent? This was her entire message: “Am I the only one who saw the Chicago cop pulling a coyote out of the supermarket produce display?” I responded with the only logical, reasonable question to my mother: “Are you high?” But no! Every part of her nonsensical sentence was true! On Monday Animal Care and Control was called to an Aldi supermarket in Chicago to remove a coyote who was hiding among the produce in a refrigerated aisle, presumably to relocate the lost mutt to a room temperature locale. Thankfully — for the word of my mother and my own sanity — there is video documenting this scene which truly must be seen to be believed.
It’s mating season for coyotes and one fella seems to have gone looking for love in an unexpected place: Aldi’s refrigerator aisle.
On Monday morning, Chicago Animal Care and Control responded to a report of a coyote at 800 N. Kedzie Ave., aka the Humboldt Park Aldi.
Video shared on social media showed officers rooting around shelves of produce and salads, finally locating the coyote and pulling it from its hiding place.
The critter attempted to dive back into the cases but was ultimately captured, according to Armando Tejeda of Animal Care and Control.
The coyote, confirmed to be a male, will be transferred to the city’s wildlife rehabilitation partner, Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation.
The animal appears uninjured, “but Flint Creek will conduct an assessment to confirm its health before releasing it back into the wild if deemed appropriate,” Tejeda said.
Coyotes typically avoid humans, but activity and sightings tend to increase during mating season as the animals search for mates and establish territories, he added.
Some tips for co-existing with Chicago’s coyotes, a population that’s adapted nicely to an urban environment:
—Keep an eye on pets and use a short leash on dogs, especially near parks or wooded areas.
—Avoid feeding coyotes (and wildlife in general) as it encourages bold behavior and increases interactions. That applies to unintentional feeding such as leaving pet food, garbage or even birdseed unattended.
—If you come across a coyote, resist the urge to run. Make yourself big, loud and back away slowly.
So the obvious question on everyone’s mind is: why was he in the produce and not the meat section? No but really, what is this kid’s story? Did Aldi managers see him stroll in the entrance (if so, video please!) and he was hidden amongst the salads by the time Animal Care and Control arrived? (Sidenote question to AC&C: was yanking him out by the tail really the only way? Ouch!) Or did an unsuspecting shopper reach for a bag of carrots and was startled by a pair of beady eyes staring back? And was this coyote looking for food, or love, as this article suggests? (Tough question, I know, as the two are so easily entwined.) But of course, this whole episode — a coyote sneaking his way into piles of food — is simply begging for invocations of Wile E. Coyote. The image of the desperate, starving coyote endures! If only this had taken place at an Acme supermarket…
Anyway, I hope this wily coyote finds peace, a mate, and a decent meal in his new home at Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation, before he’s set loose into the wild (of Chicago) once again. And please do heed the tips on dealing with coyotes. Keep careful watch on your pets when outside of the house, just ask Tommy Lee and Brittany Furlan. And definitely do not leave food out for creatures unless you’re really prepared to FAFO, just ask this woman in Washington State.
The Aldi’s on Kedzie in Humboldt Park
I was prepared to see him pull out a opossum or a raccoon. Did NOT expect that pic.twitter.com/4CbaWkjhwy
— Eddie (@EddieBarstool) January 13, 2025
Coyote photos credit: Tomáš Malík and Matt R on Pexels
