Last year, Asheton Rice and her husband began leaving out food for the wildlife passing through their yard. As owners of a pottery business, the couple enjoyed making unique ceramic bowls just for their wild neighbors and filling them with delicious treats
every day.
Until, a few months into their catering service, they realized some of the dishes were going missing.
At first, Asheton and her husband couldn’t wrap their heads around the theft. They knew that there were no other humans with access to their yard. And the animals they primarily saw eating from the bowls — like local birds, squirrels and crows — weren’t strong enough to carry the heavy ceramic pieces away.
They had no choice but to investigate.
“[W]e decided to get cameras and see what was happening,” Asheton told The Dodo.
The couple installed the cameras and waited patiently for the thief to appear. When they checked the footage the next day, they were shocked to see a rogue coyote roam through their yard in the dark, pick up a ceramic bowl and run away.
“And there he was, caught red handed,” Asheton said.
The coyote, whom the couple named Clarence, returned nearly each night, scoping out the new bowls and then running back into the woods with one in his mouth. After a few visits, Asheton decided to put an AirTag inside a new soup bowl. She’d hoped at the very least to figure out where Clarence was taking them.
“[W]e went on a pottery hunt, and sure enough, we found them!” Asheton said. “Well, most of them.”
You can watch Clarence steal the bowl here:
After following the GPS signal into the woods, the couple eventually discovered a treasure trove of ceramic pieces strewn around the ground. Their excitement over finding Clarence’s secret collection only grew when they realized that every single piece was still intact.
“I was so thrilled and honestly shocked none were damaged,” Asheton said. “He had them all placed in the woods 0.4 miles from our home, so neatly displayed for all the forest visitors.”
You can watch them discover Clarence’s collection here:
Clarence clearly cared for the ceramic pieces he’d been stealing. And although the couple had come to reclaim some of their bowls, they decided to leave a bowl behind for Clarence’s safekeeping.
It was a fair trade, the couple thought. Plus, Clarence could always return to their house if he wanted more — and that’s just what he did.
“He comes almost nightly,” Asheton said.
You can see more of Clarence’s nightly visits here:
Clarence is now a regular visitor at the couple’s home, and they wouldn’t have it any other way. They still leave out bowls of food for the wildlife in their area, knowing that one may go missing every once in a while. It’s the price they’re willing to pay to keep their adorable neighbors, including Clarence, happy.
“He loves to play with plushies in the yard, mess with Rocky (one of the raccoons), and snag a pottery piece of his choice every now and then …” Asheton said. “Just kidding, almost nightly.”
