A coyote that was pulled out of the refrigerated section of an Aldi in Chicago yesterday will be returned to the wild, officials said. The wild animal was “likely seeking refuge from the hustle and bustle of city life,” slipped into the store via an open door and then hid behind the cheeses and deli meats to avoid the people in the store.

Aldi shoppers got more than they bargained for when a cop yanked a coyote from a fridge by the tail. The strange scene played out in the supermarket chain’s Kedzie Avenue store in Chicago, Illinois, Monday morning and comes amid mating season.

Onlookers watched the slightly surreal incident at an Aldi in Chicago's West side play out with cops trying to dislodge the terrified coyote who had run into the supermarket

It was not known how a coyote found its way to the Aldi at 800 N. Kedzie Ave., but police officers and the city's animal control department helped out, Chicago police said. The coyote will get a health assessment before it's released.

"A coyote walks into an ALDI"sounds a lot like the start of a cheesy dad joke, but that's exactly what happened in a Chicago, Illinois ALDI store this week. And lucky for us, the mayhem was caught on camera.

An officer eventually grabbed what appeared to be a furry tail and furiously pulled before the wild animal shockingly emerged and landed on the market floor.

The grocer’s CEO declared last month that it was in “strong financial condition,” but layoffs announced this week suggest a bumpy road ahead.

Thousands of coyotes call Chicago home year-round, but coyote mating season means it's the time of year you're most likely to see one. While coyotes mostly avoid humans, Chicagoans should avoid feeding them,

Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, [email protected]; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

A United Airlines flight struck a coyote on the runway during takeoff from Chicago O’Hare International Airport, forcing the jet to return to the airport.

A United Airlines flight struck a coyote while taking off from Chicago O'Hare International Airport on Sunday. A Boeing 737 MAX 9, en route to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, was taking off around 10:45 a.