Wildlife rehabbers theorized the animal ducked into the supermarket, then hid among refrigerated items to "hide from people inside the store.”

Customers gasped as officers made several attempts to yank the coyote out of the shelf, finally pulling the animal out by its tail.

Shoppers and staff at a Chicago Aldi were surprised to find a coyote hiding in the refrigerated section, prompting a response from animal control.

A coyote that was pulled out of the refrigerated section of an Aldi in Chicago yesterday will be returned to the wild, officials said. The wild animal was “likely seeking refuge from the hustle and bustle of city life,” slipped into the store via an open door and then hid behind the cheeses and deli meats to avoid the people in the store.

Imagine shopping for groceries and stumbling upon a wild coyote in the frozen food aisle. That's exactly what happened in a Chicago Aldi store today.

Onlookers watched the slightly surreal incident at an Aldi in Chicago's West side play out with cops trying to dislodge the terrified coyote who had run into the supermarket

Coyote sightings and interactions in Chicago are increasing as the breeding season, lasting from January to March, gets underway.

Officials gave an update Tuesday on a coyote pulled from a refrigerator shelf at an Aldi in Chicago, a moment that was captured on now-viral video.

Police officers pulled a coyote out of the refrigerated section in an Aldi grocery store outside of Chicago. The popular weather forecaster is gone with no explanation from the station beyond a statement thanking her for keeping viewers safe and informed.

It is mating season for coyotes, which "generally means increased activity in urban areas, including Chicago," according to Chicago Animal Care and Control.

Customers gasped as officers made several attempts to yank the coyote out of the shelf, finally pulling the animal out by its tail.

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