Confrontations between residents and coyotes in a Sandy Springs neighborhood have gotten so serious, a homeowners association board recently voted to hire trappers to capture and kill the animals – the latest to do so in the area, but creating a split in the community.
“It was a tough decision, but we’ve made it. I’m having about 12-to-1 calls and emails in favor of this process,” Dane Seibert, president of the Huntcliff Homeowners Association, told the AJC in a phone interview.
It was a matter of protecting family pets -- and, potentially, people, Seibert said.
“We’ve had animals being attacked literally on the steps of our houses, in our back yards. We just felt it’s time to fight,” he said. “I had one chase my cat all the way up to the deck.
“In several instances when people confronted these coyotes, instead of running, as they would in the wilderness being afraid of humans, these coyotes have gotten so complacent they stare at you and then slowly walk away,” Seibert said.
Huntcliff resident Kevin Whitson told Channel 2 Action News how he nearly lost his cat Bella.
“My wife was in the den. She heard this screaming sound, like a baby just howling,” Whitson said. “The cat was on the ground, and the coyote had pinned her down and was trying to kill the cat.”
Whitson’s wife scared off the coyote, and – after about $350 in veterinary bills – Bella survived.
Trappers have identified where coyotes travel through the neighborhood and will begin setting traps soon. They’re designed to just hold and not harm the animals, in case someone’s dog ends up being accidentally snared, Seibert said.
But once a coyote is captured, it will be taken away and put down.
“By law, they have to euthanize them,” Seibert said. “The state of Georgia has an open season on coyotes – you can trap them, hunt them, shoot them, whatever you want. There is no limitation on it. And if you trap one, you must euthanize it.”
Huntcliff board member Beth Hunger cast the sole “no” vote against hiring the trapper.
"I have a really hard time with the idea of coming in and wholesale killing animals because they're not convenient," Hunger told Channel 2. "I think if people have a problem with coyotes coming into their backyards and taking their pets, they need to keep their pets inside.”
According to a coyote facts website of the Wildlife Resources Division, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, coyotes have expanded their range throughout North America. They've found that with garbage, rodents and other meals easily available, Georgia is a hospitable place.
“By nature, coyotes are timid and shy animals that tend to steer clear of any potential danger and thus pose little threat to humans,” the website says.
Resembling a small dog in appearance, with a pointy snout, pointy ears, a mottled black to reddish-blonde coat and a bushy tail, coyotes are solitary hunters with keen eyesight and an acute sense of smell. They communicate through high-pitched cries, shrieks or yips that can be heard late in the evening.
Breeding usually occurs in the late winter to early spring, with five to seven pups born in excavated dens or brush piles.
The state DNR and the Atlanta Wild Animal Rescue Effort (AWARE) say residents can reduce the chances of unwanted coyote encounters:
-- Keep an eye on your pets, take them indoors and night and don’t let them wander from one’s yard.
-- If pets must be kept outside, put up fencing to discourage coyotes.
-- Don’t leave pet food bowls outdoors; coyotes are attracted by the smell.
-- Keep small livestock or poultry in an enclosed or sheltered area.
-- Get lock-top garbage cans and attach them to the house or fence, or build an enclosure for them.
-- If you encounter a coyote, clap your hands, yell and generally make a ruckus to scare it away.
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