This Friday, Jan. 10, 2020 photo provided by Chicago Animal Care and Control in Chicago shows an injured coyote after it was successfully located and safely darted with a tranquilizer. (Chicago Animal Care and Control via AP)

DNA tests to determine if a coyote captured on Chicago’s North Side is the same animal that attacked a 6-year-old boy will take weeks to complete, a city animal control official said Friday.

(Skeeze / Pixabay)

The city is on high alert after two coyote attacks Wednesday, but a wildlife expert says such incidents are very rare. “I don’t think people need to be panicked or alarmed,” said Seth Magle, director of the Urban Wildlife Institute at Lincoln Park Zoo.

A group of coyotes captured by a motion-detected camera in Chicago. (Courtesy of Lincoln Park Zoo)

Since 2010, the zoo’s Urban Wildlife Institute has used motion-detecting cameras and acoustic monitoring equipment to record and document animals roaming through the city.

A coyote in Lincoln Park, near Belmont Harbor. (John Picken)

A viewer's video, shared with "Chicago Tonight," shows his encounter with a coyote in Columbus Park while walking his two dogs. Coyote mating season has begun, which means the urban animals may behave aggressively.

Seth Magle, Ph.D., Director of the Urban Wildlife Institute, secures a camera trap that is used to capture data for Chicago Wildlife Watch. (Courtesy of Urban Wildlife Institute/Lincoln Park Zoo)

A group of local science researchers want your help on a truly wild project. Learn about Chicago Wildlife Watch, and how you can help them better understand the urban ecosystem of Chicago.