Wandering Coyote 'Darted' and Euthanized

Coyote hours before it was shot with a tranquilizer dart and euthanized Friday morning at 94th Street and Major Avenue. | Brendan Hosty

The coyote seen wandering through Oak Lawn on Thursday has been captured and euthanized. A Cook County official said the animal was shot with a tranquilizer gun early Friday morning and was brought to Animal Welfare League in Chicago Ridge to be euthanized.

“The Cook County Department of Animal and Rabies Control responded on Oct. 22 to a coyote in the area and attempted to scare the animal away, but it told Oak Lawn police to call back if the coyote was spotted again,” department spokeswoman Becky Schlickerman said via email.

The coyote was spotted again early Friday morning near 97th Street and 51st Avenue. County officials came out and shot a tranquilizer dart at the coyote, putting it to sleep.

A resident told Patch then when she left for work early Friday morning, she saw “animal control and police surrounding the coyote. The coyote was sleeping.”

Schlickerman said the coyote had taken up residence near a children’s playground, but did not specify where the playground was located or if it was a park or school.

The coyote also reportedly killed a dog in Oak Lawn, according to Schlickerman. Oak Lawn police did not return phone calls or email seeking comment.

“The coyote will be euthanized because it is a threat to public safety …,” she said. “No bites to humans were reported.”

Schlickerman said the county more often tries to educate the public with wild coyotes without making them get too accustomed to people. The county’s animal control department also uses deterrence techniques to move them to a safer location.

“In this case, the risk to children was considered in making the decision to euthanize the coyote,” Schlikerman added. “This coyote would have had to be driven more than 100 miles away to prevent its return.”

The coyote’s body will be necropsied at the University of Illinois Zoological Pathology Program.