Coyote Sightings Have Communities On Alert

Coyotes are part of a nationwide problem and they are being seen more and more in the Indianapolis area.

Coyotes have been seen on the northside of town and specifically in Westfield, Ind. Homeowners in Springmill Villages have been calling their property manager four and five times a day to report coyote sightings.

"They were sitting in people's back yards, not leaving, having confrontations with family dogs, running around in packs. When I saw it, I couldn't believe it. I had never seen anything like it, especially the one that was out in daylight, 20 feet from the road, devouring a rabbit," Springmill Villages property manager Tim Loehr said.

Deb Powell heard the coyotes first and then she saw coyotes sniffing around her son's swing set.

"I don't think that I've ever been so afraid of something," Powell said.

Powell started tying up her dogs and wrote a letter to warn other neighbors about the coyotes.

"A lot of this area was farmland and they (coyotes) have their little dens and with developing, the dens get destroyed and the animals have nowhere to go," Loehr said.

"It's sad for the coyotes because they belong out in the wild and it's scary for us because they're wild animals that are becoming used to humans," Powell said.

The homeowners decided not to set traps for fear that it would be more dangerous to the children and pets. They did set up a Web site and a phone chain so that they can share information with each other about the coyote sightings.

Coyotes have also been seen in other areas of the city.

A man shot and killed a coyote on the southside on Thursday. Authorities said that the animals have been showing up more frequently.

Tony Cora has been watching and videotaping coyotes in a field behind his house for the past month.

"He was back here in the back. He came out of the weeds. A couple of dogs were chasing him and he came running out and when I saw him, I shot him. He ran out here and fell in the road," Cora said.

Cora, a hunter, took no pleasure in shooting the animal, but he also got no complaints from his neighbors, who have also been watching with growing alarm the presence of the wild animals in an urban setting.

The coyotes may have attacked a dog in the area.

"We've seen them out here a few times and our dog came up missing a week ago Sunday. We're not sure if it was them but it kind of seems like it. We haven't found him or anything, and we checked the animal shelter and everything. He's not there," Jean Ray said.

No one is certain just what the animals are eating, but with several young children in the neighborhood, there's more than a little concern about safety.

"They sound like they got a hold of something. The other night they did. It sounded like they were attacking something. I guess it was her (Ray's) dog," Ann Fulkerson said.

Since the shooting, there's been no sign of the other two coyotes, but residents suspect that they're still here.

The missing dog is a poodle, the same breed as a dog that was viciously attacked by a coyote in Madison County a month ago. That dog was the pet of Anderson Mayor Mark Lawler.

A spokesperson for the Department of Natural Resources said that it is very unlikely that a coyote would attack a child, and that it is more likely that a child would be attacked by a pack of wild dogs or by a dog that has been abused by its owner.

The DNR also said that the number of coyotes is increasing because trapping has declined. Coyotes also breed and prosper when there's an ample food supply.

There are some tips that can help people keep coyotes away.

Keeping Coyotes Away

Don't leave trash out

Take down bird feeders

Keep yard lights on

Tie pets close to home

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