Coyote sightings leave Cape Coral residents on edge

CAPE CORAL, Fla.- A picture of a coyote roaming an empty field off Embers Parkway in Cape Coral is generating buzz on social media.

Cape Coral Police say eight healthy coyotes have been spotted in the area. Police sent out an alert earlier this week saying “While not usually aggressive or dangerous towards people, coyotes have been known to occasionally get into garbage, and attack small pets.”

“You don’t really see a lot of wildlife out here,” said Andrea Jackson.”It’s one of the reasons why we like the neighborhood.”

She and her neighbor, Suzan Taylor, heard about the sightings earlier this month. Taylor’s daughter later spotted some herself.

“She saw two of them, and they were very large, larger than she had anticipated.”

Residents have been spreading the word about the recent sightings, but some worry their beloved pets could become targets.

“[We] had heard they were getting cats and things like that, and that concerns me,” said Taylor.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials say suburbs like Cape Coral are common areas for coyotes to breed, with lots of food for them to find.

FWC suggests keeping kids, pets and trash inside as much as possible to keep the pesky hunters away.