WESTPORT (WBSM) — A deceased coyote pup was found along the roadway of Route 177 in Westport on Monday, which is an unfortunate but hardly unremarkable occurrence – except for what it had tied around its neck.

Tiverton resident (and Westport native) Becki McElroy discovered the coyote on the side of the road with a pair of sweatpants tied around its neck. She told WBSM that when she first drove by the coyote on Monday morning, she thought it was “a shepherd with a sweater on.”

“There were cars around, so I continued on to the bank,” she said. “About 13 minutes later I went back by, and realized it's a coyote. I went by a few more times to be sure.”

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She said it “wasn’t sitting right with her” so she parked, walked over and took photos. She then called the non-emergency line for Westport Police and was told the Animal Control Officer would go out and take a look, but that because Route 177 is a state highway, the highway department would come and remove it. When she drove by again an hour later, the coyote was gone.

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Westport Animal Control posted to its Facebook page that they had received a call of a “possible deceased dog” but realized upon arrival that it was a coyote pup.

“Is no one concerned about how the hell the sweatpants came into play?” McElroy said. “I would think there would be a post asking if anyone moved it out of the street on their way to work maybe, or just how exactly did it end up with the sweatpants around its neck."

"Like what in the what?” she said.

Courtesy Becki McElroy
Courtesy Becki McElroy
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Someone may have seen the animal lying in the middle of the road (or perhaps had been the one that hit it) and McElroy speculated they may have used the sweatpants to move it without having to touch it directly.

“Hopefully because it was so early, someone used what they had in their car to pull him to the side of the road,” she said.

Courtesy Becki McElroy
Courtesy Becki McElroy
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Westport Animal Control said on a Facebook post that the department “was not sure why” there were sweatpants tied around the animal.

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