RIVERSIDE, Cali. – A coyote was caught on camera hiding in a bathroom stall at a California middle school on Monday.
The coyote was found just before 9 a.m. at Jurupa Unified’s Mission Middle School in Riverside, California.
According to a news release from the Riverside County Department of Animal Services, the animal scurried into the bathroom after it was discovered on campus.
“Staffers told Officer Will Luna the coyote had been spotted several times in recent weeks, but it had never ventured into the school grounds. The staff nicknamed the coyote ‘Wile E.’ as a nod to the infamous hunter of the Road Runner in Warner Bros. cartoons,” the release states.
Officer Luna filmed the video, which can be viewed in the media player at the top of this article.
He was able to lasso the frightened animal before relocating and releasing it in a rural area away from the school.
“We are pleased that this incident was smooth and all the children were OK and we were able to get the coyote back to its more natural habitat,” Animal Services Director Erin Gettis said.
“There are dedicated wildlife corridors and other open spaces, such as green belts, and these are areas where animals live,” Gettis said. “Due to population adjacent to these natural, open spaces, we are going to have encounters.”
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