Chicago – The coyote that walked into a downtown Chicago sandwich shop Tuesday afternoon was released Wednesday onto a 9-acre private wildlife refuge in the suburbs where rabbits and mice – not subs and chips – will be his daily fare.
Officials were fairly confident he won’t return downtown, but no one can be really sure. They named the animal “Adrian” after the employee of the city’s Animal Care and Control department who watched him overnight. The coyote was sequestered from the facility’s dog and cat population.
Employees and customers at a Quiznos had been stunned to see the 30-pound coyote walk through the propped-open front door Tuesday and lie down in a cooler stocked with fruit juice and soda.
“It wasn’t aggressive at all,” restaurant manager Bina Patel said. “It was just looking around.”
Workers and patrons calmly cleared out of the restaurant, though some took the time to finish their sandwiches and snap cellphone photos. Animal-control officers took the passive coyote away after about 40 minutes, as a curious crowd gathered outside.
