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Coyote Rescued and Released After Wandering into a Bathroom Stall at a California Middle School

Coyote Rescued and Released After Wandering into a Bathroom Stall at a California Middle School

A school in California had an unexpected visitor Monday morning: a young coyote who found his way into a bathroom stall.

According to the Riverside County Department of Animal Services (RCDAS), Jurupa Unified's Mission Middle School in Riverside, California, called early Monday morning after spotting the wild animal on school grounds. Before the RCDAS officers arrived at the school, the male coyote, believed to be around nine months old, went into the school and hid in a bathroom stall.

This odd incident was not the young animal's first visit to the school's campus. School staff members told the responding RCDAS officer, Will Luna, that they nicknamed the coyote "Wile E.," a nod to the Road Runner cartoon, after spotting him multiple times in recent weeks.

Officer Luna captured Wile E.'s expulsion from the middle school on video. The rescuer's footage shows Luna finding the coyote cowering near a toilet, seemingly frightened by his surroundings.

"Oh, that's not a pup; that's a full-grown coyote," Luna says in the clip. "Let's get you out of here."

Coyote in school bathroom
Coyote in school bathroom

In the video, Luna lassos the coyote, loads him into a truck, and drives the wayward animal to a rural area. The footage ends with Luna releasing the coyote.

"It's becoming more and more difficult to relocate them with all the development and new homes," Luna says in the rescue video, which the RCDAS shared on YouTube.

RELATED: New England Family Brings Home Coyote Pup After Mistaking the Wild Animal for Lost Puppy

No humans or animals were harmed during the coyote's visit to the middle school, according to the RCDAS.

"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," RCDAS Director Erin Gettis said in a statement.

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Monday morning's surprise visit comes a few months after a coyote wandered into a California home through a doggie door. The family's three dogs "went crazy," according to homeowner Julie Levine, and the coyote quickly left from where it came.