Coyote in distress: Echo Park residents hope to help animal with toy stuck on jaw
SILVER LAKE, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Residents in the Echo Park and Silver Lake area are hoping authorities can help their frantic search for a coyote spotted roaming their neighborhood.
They're not hoping to get rid of it, but to help it.
The animal appears to have a large red plastic toy somehow lodged onto its mouth, making it difficult to eat or drink.
Residents have taken video of the coyote in distress for at least the last six days.
Video taken by one neighbor shows the coyote with what appears to be a red Kong toy lodged around its bottom jaw trying to drink from a water fountain and struggling to get water into its mouth.
"He had this red object in his mouth," said resident George Scheideman. "I thought he was just carrying it around. I looked more closely. He was trying to get it off, couldn't get it off. Looked very uncomfortable."
Scheideman said he wasn't sure how to help. Dozens of Echo Park residents have spotted the coyote and are sharing their photos and videos online to try to help the animal.
Neighbors have alerted animal control and animal rescue groups, but so far no one has been successful in safely trapping the animal.
