Coyote Grabs Ring Camera, Takes Off In New Lenox Woods

NEW LENOX, IL — A New Lenox couple got a surprise—and a good laugh—when they realized a coyote had swiped a toppled trail cam and taken it for a jaunt through their woods Tuesday night.

Brian and Mary Malpeli—known for their elaborate and impressive haunted trail each Halloween—discovered one of several Ring cameras they'd positioned in their woods had either fallen or been knocked down, and a coyote apparently had grabbed hold of it.

The footage is a bit bumpy, as the coyote trots through the crunchy snow. For minutes, the wily coyote takes the camera on a bit of a ride. In a snippet, all we see is its paws and bushy tail, as it trots along, eventually dropping the camera in the snow. Pretty sure we hear sniffing, too.

It's particularly funny, Brian Malpeli said, when you consider why they put the cameras there in the first place—to keep an eye on coyotes that might try to hunt his 14 chickens. Joke's on Malpeli, looks like.

"It’s honestly satirical as hell, because the cameras were out there to watch them to keep an eye on them for my chickens," Malpeli said. "They took the camera—now that’s hilarious."

Malpeli said he's fairly certain the coyote knocked down the camera on its own. He was able to find the camera by mid-day Wednesday.

The coyote had dropped it about 500-700 feet from its original spot, Malpeli said.