ST. LOUIS – A viral video of a coyote pulled from the produce section of a Chicago area grocery store has some St. Louis area residents wondering how the animal managed to find his way into a cooler section.

A wildlife rescue group possessed the animal following the rescue with the intention of releasing it back into the wild.

Dan Zarlenga is the St. Louis regional media specialist for the Missouri Department of Conservation. He said coyotes are known for their adaptability, including with humans nearby.

“We’ve certainly had them in the metro pretty commonly,” he said.


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“I don’t know where they came from, but they are out here,” St. Louis resident Jamahl Jennings said.

Coyote breeding season is approaching. Zarlenga expects the number of sightings to grow in February and March. He adds that the animals are not considered a threat to humans but can view other animals, such as smaller dogs, as a threat to their territory.

“They’ll eat anything from meat, rodents, vegetables and trash,” Zarlenga said.

He encourages anyone concerned about coyotes in their neighborhood to make sure their trash is secure and avoid leaving out pet food or bird seed.

If coyotes are unwanted guests in your neighborhood, Zarlenga recommends making their visit as unpleasant as possible. He recommends making loud noises, shining lights at them at night, or when the weather is warmer, spraying water in their direction from a hose.

“Condition them to have negative experiences around humans so they’re less likely to return,” he said.

Coyotes are not considered a threat to humans, according to Zarlenga.

St. Louis resident Eric Armstrong has routinely witnessed coyotes in his neighborhood.

“They’re more afraid of us than we are of them,” he said.

For more information about coyote control, visit Coyote Control on the MDC website.