A surprise shopper caused a stir at a Chicago supermarket on Monday morning—a coyote decided to check out the produce aisle before being escorted out.
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Customers at an Aldi were in for a shock when officers pulled a coyote out of the refrigerated section—a howlingly harrowing moment captured on video.
“I expected him to pull out a raccoon or opossum, NOT a damn coyote,” the Instagram post’s caption read.
Authorities were seen using broomsticks to inspect the shelves of the Aldi grocery store in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood, as shown in a viral clip shared on social media.
An officer eventually spotted the animal’s tail protruding from the shelves and gave it a firm tug. To everyone’s astonishment, a wild animal suddenly burst free, landing dramatically on the market floor.
The Coyote is Currently at a Wildlife Rehabilitation Center
According to The Chicago Tribune, the gray coyote swiftly darted between the refrigerated products but was safely captured by animal control around 10 a.m.
“The animal is currently at our facility awaiting transfer to our wildlife rehabilitation partner, Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation,” Chicago Animal Control and Care explained to NBC Chicago.

“The coyote appears uninjured, but Flint Creek will conduct an assessment to confirm its health before releasing it back into the wild if deemed appropriate,” they added.
Meanwhile, Stan Gehrt with the Cook County Coyote Project weighed in on the oddball supermarket moment.
“It picked an odd location. They do this sometimes. They make a mistake. They’re trying to avoid us. They’re trying to hide from us,” Gehrt told ABC 7 Chicago. “Probably trying to find a new area to hide, ended up inside the store. This has happened in the past.”
Of course, onlookers on Instagram had a lot to say about the hair raising moment.
“He’s a huge fan of Jewel’s fried chicken Monday deal,” one user joked. “Pulling a coyote out WITH YOUR HANDS BY ITS TAIL is absolutely diabolical behavior,” a second onlooker marveled.
Meanwhile, another onlooker couldn’t help but poke fun at one of the less… hands-on officers.
“The guy supervising really was helpful,” they quipped.