A local Animal Control officer, along with a police officer, arrived on the scene shortly thereafter. As they tried to calm the coyote down, they realized it wasn’t alone. Nestled in a corner of the fridge, wrapped in the coyote’s protective stance, was a small, trembling creature.
The officer, hesitant at first, carefully approached the scene. The coyote was fixated on the tiny animal, its fur bristling in defense. As the officer gently reached in, the small creature let out a faint, barely audible sound. It was a young possum—no bigger than a softball—its fur matted with dirt and wet from the cold.
It was clear to the officer that the coyote had not come into the store to hunt or feed. Instead, it had placed the possum inside the cold storage, presumably to protect it from predators and the harsh elements outside. The coyote, a transient animal with no known family, had found a place to shelter its vulnerable charge.