A coyote on the runway briefly delayed flights out of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport Tuesday afternoon, the FAA has confirmed.
The prairie wolf was spotted on the south side of the airport around 3:30 p.m., Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said.
"An airport vehicle chased him into a ravine" and flights resumed after roughly five minutes, Bergen said.
Finding wildlife on runways is not as uncommon as you think.
"They've even had alligators turn up at some Florida airports," Bergen said.
And while it may be the first time a coyote has a delayed a flight out of Hartsfield-Jackson, it probably won't be the last.
Foreign to Georgia just a quarter-century ago, prairie wolves have been seen everywhere from the wetlands around Sope Creek in east Cobb to the heavily wooded neighborhoods in Buckhead. Earlier this month, Decatur residents appealed to city leaders for help in controlling the burgeoning coyote population.
Just last week a dead coyote was found not far off the Downtown Connector.
"There's not much you can do about them," said Brent Womack, a wildlife biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. "They're everywhere. Even New York City has coyotes. "
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