Mission District coyote is telling no tales

A wayward coyote trapped in a backyard at 18th and Capp is offering investigators few clues on how it ended up in the middle of the densely-populated Mission District last month.

San Francisco Animal Control was called to capture the wild animal, which was discovered to be severely underweight when caught on Jan. 18.

Normally weighing between 25 and 30 pounds, this coyote weighed in at an emaciated 16 pounds. Four days later, the coyote was transferred to the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley, where it was found to be dehydrated and flea- and tick-infested.

After getting some time to rest, the coyote is doing much better and recovering, CBS-SF reports. Alongside nursing the coyote back to health, officials are publicly wondering just how the animal could have found itself deep within the Mission.

Coyotes have been known to live in Golden Gate Park, Glen Canyon and other wooded areas of The City. A high-profile coyote attack in 2007 still haunts Golden Gate Park, with occasional flares in aggression from coyotes mothering their cubs or protecting their dens.

Since trapping a coyote within a block or two of Whiz Burger and Benders is a highly unusual occurrence, help from the public is being sought in figuring out the coyote’s provenance. If you know anything about how this coyote ended up in the Mission, please contact the Wildlife Center at (408) 929-9453.

Or, if you may have seen an anvil, piano, or wooden “ACME” crate fall from the sky nearby — you may be eligible for a reward of one million box.

Jesse Garnier

Jesse Garnier is the editor and founder of SFBay. A Mission District native, he also teaches journalism as associate professor at San Francisco State University.