A coyote with a plastic jar stuck over their head — preventing the animal from eating or drinking for days — was finally located and freed from their dilemma, WRAL News reported.
Thanks to a North Carolina community’s vigilance, multiple residents alerted the Durham County Sheriff’s Office to the distressed coyote. Although concerned citizens had been calling animal services about the critter for at least three days, authorities had difficulty finding the coyote.
Eventually, their luck changed when one of the deputies saw the coyote and hid behind a tree, using a catch pole to secure the animal. Another deputy pulled the jar off as he restrained the coyote with a second catch pole. Then one of the officers moved to a location behind a fence to safely let the coyote loose. One of the deputies’ body cameras captured the rescue in a video posted on its YouTube page.
“These Animal Services deputies used their training and compassion to create a positive outcome for this animal and the members of the community concerned about its fate,” Sheriff Clarence Birkhead told Durham County News.
Sadly, there are many instances of plastic pollution harming wildlife, whether from animals ingesting trash or getting stuck or tangled. Often, the smell of food in plastic bags, jugs, and jars can attract animals, causing them to get their head stuck, like this unfortunate coyote.
In other instances, plastic waste stuck around other limbs may cause situations where the animals may not be able to move as fast, leaving them defenseless against possible predators, or may cause them to get stuck on vegetation, leaving them unable to find food or water. If rendered unable to eat or drink, they could die a slow, painful death of dehydration or starvation.
Lady Freethinker commends the citizens who reported the coyote’s distress and the Durham County Sheriff’s Office for rescuing the coyote from a potentially deadly situation.
