Shoppers at a Chicago Aldi were thrown for a loop Monday morning when officers pulled a coyote from a refrigerated shelf, which quickly went viral.
The crazy encounter began when the coyote darted into the store and headed toward the produce section. Officers from the Chicago Police Department arrived around 9:45 a.m. and eventually spotted the animal hiding behind refrigerator shelf items.
The Aldi’s on Kedzie in Humboldt Park
— Eddie (@EddieBarstool) January 13, 2025
I was prepared to see him pull out a opossum or a raccoon. Did NOT expect that pic.twitter.com/4CbaWkjhwy
Shoppers were left astonished as officers struggled to remove the coyote. Even after they managed to pull it out by its tail, the animal kept trying to scramble back into the fridge.
The viral video captioned, "Did NOT expect that," has taken social media by storm. Viewers quickly piled on with comments like, "LOL, I'm sorry, but are they seriously using a Swiffer and a broom to catch a coyote?"
LOL I'm sorry, but they legit are using a swiffer and a broom to catch a coyote? 🤣
— VixTrilogy✟ (@BipolarVix) January 14, 2025
He was just trying to get some groceries!
— 🌎Gaia 🌌🪶🖖🏻 (@GAIAAENEAS) January 14, 2025
i was not prepared
— Ivan Evans (@CoachEvans9) January 14, 2025
Another chimed in, "He was just trying to get some groceries!"
"These animals are doing everything they can to stay away from us," Chris Anchor of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County told CBS Chicago. He added the coyote was probably walking down the sidewalk trying to avoid people when the store door opened.
Anchor added January through March marks mating season, which could explain the sighting. "Right now, they're very active in setting up territories and defending them," he told the outlet.
The animal was later transferred to Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation for assessment.
Liza Lehrer, assistant director of the Urban Wildlife Institute at Lincoln Park Zoo, found the situation surprising but not unexpected. She told CBS Chicago, "The colder temperatures — we don't see human activity really as much, you know, out in our parks and in our natural areas."
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