CHICAGO (CBS) — A United Airlines plane struck a coyote during takeoff at O’Hare International Airport last weekend and had to be returned to the gate.
United Airlines told CBS News Chicago on Tuesday that Flight 1727 was about to take off on Sunday morning when the landing gear hit a coyote.
The plane, which was headed to Phoenix, Arizona, had to return to the terminal for investigation. United said it had arranged for passengers to board another plane.
The decommissioned aircraft had 167 passengers and six crew members on board.
United Airlines has not provided any information on the coyote’s condition.
Coyote sightings are plentiful during mating season
Coyotes have been in the news several times this week in Chicago. In one incident, people were outraged Sunday, witnesses said three men assaulted and killed a coyote in the 10600 block of South Sacramento Avenue in the Mount Greenwood neighborhood. According to the latest reports, the police are still looking for those involved.
A coyote was recovered from a refrigerated shelf at the Aldi store at 800 N. Kedzie Ave. Monday morning. in the Humboldt Park neighborhood.
The coyote had wandered into the supermarket and made a mad dash to the produce section. Chicago police officers were first on the scene, where they cornered the animal, which was hiding behind items on a refrigerated shelf.
Customers gasped as officers made several attempts to yank the coyote from the shelf, eventually pulling the animal out by its tail.
The animal then ran back to the refrigerator. Responding officers from Chicago Animal Care and Control eventually captured the coyote.
Chicago Animal Care and Control said the coyote found at the Aldi store was kept in a quiet part of the building to avoid additional stress Monday evening. The animal was then turned over to Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation in South Barrington.
Chicago Animal Care and Control
If all goes well, the wildlife rehabilitation agency plans to release the coyote into the wild.
For the next three months, coyotes will focus on finding a mate during breeding season, which runs from January through March.
