CHARLOTTE, N.C. — An east Charlotte community is concerned about seeing more coyotes roaming the streets in their neighborhood. Some of them are coming too close for comfort and after several pets have disappeared, they are calling in a coyote expert to help.
“The best defense we have is knowledge. We need to know more about coyotes, their cycles, and their behaviors... So we can learn how to make it less attractive for them and keep our pets and family safe,” said Hannah Yonce.
Mating season is in full swing for coyotes and the Woodbury neighborhood is on high alert. In the past year, four pets have gone missing including a cat, Ozzy. It disappeared just two weeks ago.
“One of the neighbors saw it. One of the coyotes picked up a cat that is currently missing in its mouth and ran back into the woods. That was right at the front of their backyard,” said Yonce.
Yonce has not been able to capture the coyotes on video but said at night she sure hears their howls coming from the wooded area behind the homes.
“Those have captured the loud howling and yipping sound,” said Yonce. “It almost sounds like excited puppies, very loud and very close. Just beyond the fence behind me is where they are. It is concerning that they are that close and that there are that many…. It’s scary.”
The community is leaning on coyote expert Bill Crowder for how to keep their family and pets safe. Crowder said coyotes are constantly migrating and after walking the wooded area he saw several signs of them; from dens, animal droppings, and prints.
Crowder created Coyotes in the Carolinas after he lost his own cat to coyotes. He was determined then to learn as much as he could about them and now to educate communities about them.
“In 2023, we are getting 60 percent of sightings in the daytime and 40 percent at night. So they are more comfortable in the daytime and that is because of desensitization to people and the more they are desensitized the closer they come,” said Crowder.
His advice is to not leave your pets unmonitored outside and to also remove food sources from outside. If the coyotes are coming into your yard deter them by establishing that it is your territory.
“The more you walk over their trail, the more they know that something is going on and they will circumvent that because they don’t want to be around us,” said Crowder.
He recommends walking with a noise maker like a whistle and a large stick.
If you encounter a coyote wave it in the air to make yourself appear larger, keep eye contact, and blow your whistle until it runs off. Do not give the coyote your back nor should you run away.
If you believe the coyote is a threat to human safety then call animal control.
“The state and the county will help as long as the coyote shows signs of aggression… but without aggression, they say just give it time. "It will move because they are constantly moving through that territory,” explained Crowder.
He adds the more you know about your coyotes the better you can protect yourself.