Who ya gonna call? Chicago Fire Department rescues a coyote on Lake Michigan. It wasn't Wile E. it was Holly.
Chicago Fire Department and Animal Control workers rescued a Coyote from the icy waters of Lake Michigan Friday.
Rescue crews were called out to the lake around 9:30 a.m.after a coyote was spotted floating on a block of ice about a half mile off Fullerton Ave. Beach, said Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford.
Workers on board a fire department boat pulled the coyote to safety at about 10:50 a.m.
Rescue workers have named the coyote “Holly.”
“The firefighting unit does not care of wild animals because we don’t have the training or the expertise. There was a quick response by the department of animal control so we were able to put one of their workers on our fireboat,” said Chief Mike Fox, Chicago Fire Department.
CFD Engine 58 picked up Animal Control Officer Miguel Hernandez at Belmont Harbor and plowed out to Holly.
In the interim, 2.5-foot-long Holly had tried to swim to shore and spent at least 20 minutes in the water.
Somehow she managed to scramble back on to some ice, barely enough to hold her completely out of the water.
Within minutes, the animal control officer, while being held by firefighters, managed to slip a rescue cord around the animal. And the group pulled her to safety.
“We hauled her up into the boat. She was pretty well frozen, not giving us any resistance. I think she was happy to see us. Got some blankets on her, warmed her up, brought her back into shore,” said Jeff Weber, Chicago firefighter.
“We had patrol and an officer and we didn’t spend extra money saving this animal, and just like a dog or cat, we should treat all animals with as much care and respect we can,” said Cherie Travis, Chicago Animal Care and Control.
