Durham County deputies came to a coyote’s aid Monday after getting calls the animal’s head was stuck in a plastic jar.
The Sheriff’s Office Animal Services department began its search several days ago in the Parkwood area in southern Durham.
“Residents of the area kept seeing the animal, which appeared to be in distress because of a plastic bottle or jar on its head,” Capt. Mark Manning said in a news release. “With the object covering its mouth, it was clear it had been unable to eat or drink for some time.”
Despite multiple trips to the neighborhood, deputies couldn’t find the coyote until Monday afternoon, when a resident on Grandale Drive reported seeing it. Deputies restrained the coyote with a catch pole, a long rod with a loop at the end of it, and removed the clear plastic container from its head, the release said.
The coyote was then released back into the area without injuries.
“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 said in the release. “Working in this division is a calling, and Animal Services consistently goes above and beyond to aid the animals of Durham County and their humans.”