Apr 3, 2007 11:03 pm US/Central
Wily Coyote Wanders Into Loop Sandwich Shop
by Dana Kozlov
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Animal Control coaxed a coyote from a Loop restaurant Tuesday afternoon.
CBS
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The coyote made himself comfortable in the cooler case of the Loop Quiznos.
CBS
A wily coyote with a nose for toasted subs wandered into a Quiznos restaurant in the heart of the Loop Tuesday afternoon.
As CBS 2�s Dana Kozlov reports, the coyote is now in the care of Animal Control, much to the relief of employees at the sandwich shop.
The incident occurred at about 2 p.m. Monday. Employees say the shop's door was propped open due to the warm weather, and the coyote just wandered in and settled into the cooler.
"I jumped on top of the counter. I was a little scared. I didn't know what it was, though until I came from over the counter and it was a coyote,� said employee Ronneshia Mukes.
While mukes stayed on the counter, other employees watched the coyote try to get through an employee door as Raymundo Zavala held him off.
"It�s not in my job description, though, but yeah it was pretty odd,� Zavala said.
The animal then settled into a drink cooler, where it just sat.
"It didn't do anything, it wasn't growling or anything like that. I think it was just hurt and trying to find shelter,� said employee Bina Patel.
In the end, it took Animal Control worker Forest Drake just a few minutes to get the coyote out.
�They said it was in the Quiznos and of course I didn't believe it, and then of course you see all of this," Drake said.
When asked what he said to dispatch when they told him about the incident, he said only: "10-4."
Just another day on the job for Forest Drake.
The coyote is now being cared for at the city's shelter.
"He's approximately a year, year and a half old, and he's scared,� said Chicago veterinarian technician Jose Tapia.
"I think he wandered away from his mother and was looking for food and or refuge,� said Anne Kent, executive director of Animal Care and Control.
To be sure, a coyote in the city is unusual. But at Animal Care and Control, there are all kinds of animals.
All are looked over by a vet. In this coyote's case, he will be heading to a wildlife refuge soon.
"He will be taken to northern Illinois and released,� Kent said.
No one - including the coyote - was hurt Tuesday afternoon.
My guess is, in the future, employees will leave the front door closed.
Coyotes are no longer strangers to urban environments. They are crafty survivors, always on the hunt for food, and sometimes that means stalking pets.
Last April a coyote mauled a dog in a parking lot in Lincolnwood. That same month a coyote led Chicago animal control officers on a wild chase in Portage Park. Coyotes have even gotten in the way of planes at O�Hare Airport.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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