CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Several residents in Port Aransas and on The Island are saying they are concerned about the coyotes wandering around their neighborhoods.
Christie McConnell, a resident on The Island says she and her neighbors often encounter coyotes outside of their homes.
“I feel uncomfortable, and having pets makes me very uncomfortable because they are not afraid of humans and they come around almost every night,” McConnell said.
McConnell recently lost her 12-year-old cat after a coyote attacked it.
“I found him on my driveway. He had gotten out from the backyard, and a coyote apparently jumped my fence and then dragged him out to the front, so I was devastated, very heart broken." McConnell said.
Scott Burroughs the Chief of Police for The City of Port Aransas, says that there have been a few incidents of coyote attacks, and here are his tips to stay safe.
“If you avoid taking your pet for a walk, particularly if they are small little dogs, particularly around sunrise or sunset, then that would reduce the chance of an encounter," Burroughs said.
Burroughs also said The Island is the home of a lot of wildlife, so he doesn't believe it's a big issue, we just have to learn to share our environment.
“We’re kind of like a wildlife sanctuary here, we have birds that aren’t seen in other places around the country. We have coyotes, we have deer, we have all kinds of fish and turtles; it’s just part of being on our island.” Burroughs said.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department says residents should not feed the coyotes, and keep all food inside or out of sight.
Also, if they see a coyote, to scare it, this will discourage it from coming back, and not panic if a coyote is spotted.
“We need to be very careful about that and keep them afraid of human, because they get used to us and we start feeding them it’s going to become an issue,” McConnell said.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department also states coyote attacks on people are extremely rare, and coyotes usually do not cause conflicts.
For the latest local news updates click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.
