A coyote in southern Illinois picked a bad spot to get stuck.
The animal became tangled in a net along a fence in Clinton County, in the southwestern part of the state, and could not move.
The Clinton County Sheriff’s Office posted video on Facebook showing the sheriff cutting away the netting with what appeared to be a knife and freeing one of the coyote’s trapped legs.
As he worked, he spoke to the animal.
“See if you let me cut you out, okay,” he said. “Okay, I’m going to grab a hold of your scruff. That’s it, my baby. That’s it, my baby.”
The sheriff then gave the coyote a few pats and lifted it up. After some hesitation, the coyote moved on.
“We’re happy to report that this wild guy is back on his way, and hopefully a little wiser about where he wanders!” the sheriff’s office wrote in part on Facebook.
“We all knew it, the Sheriff is a big softy!” the post ended.
Read more from NBC 5.
