Cape Coral holds seminar on coyote safety, avoidance

Coyotes can be found roaming the neighborhoods of Cape Coral overnight, meaning potential danger for small pets and children, so the city is holding a Wednesday afternoon seminar on how to safely live alongside and keep away the canines.

“On the Neighbors app, people are constantly showing recordings of coyotes going through your yards and things like that,” said Mike Vidal.

Coyote attacks happen nationwide. One father had to act in a split second in December when a fearless coyote tried to drag away his 2-year-old girl right outside their family home in California. The child was OK, and the coyote was finally captured and killed, but it’s a good example of how such encounters can turn dangerous.

The seminar was held at Rotary Park Wednesday and described the history of coyotes, how they live in the ecosystem and how to minimize negative interactions with them, giving people tips on how to stay safe if they come in contact with one, two or even more coyotes near their homes.

“We do have red foxes, but they tend not to bother anybody. This is my first exposure to coyotes in an urban environment, so I wanted to learn a little bit more,” said Vidal.

Wildlife experts say, for instance, coyotes likely won’t bother you if you avoid leaving food outside and if you keep your pets close to you.

Coyotes have become nuisances in Cape Coral before. A video from December 2020 shows three coyotes roaming through a woman’s yard around the 500 block of Nicholas Parkway East. At the time, a woman in this area was on edge about coyotes approaching her dog.

“I was quite surprised and then concerned for the little pet that I have, the little dog that I have,” said Rebecca Hornbeck, of Cape Coral.

“Keep your cats indoors and don’t let your dogs off of a 6-foot leash,” said Meredith Budd, regional policy director at the Florida Wildlife Federation.

Just one month before those coyotes were spotted, they were also seen nearby in a southwest Cape Coral neighborhood. That year, at least 11 coyote sightings were reported to the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission. One woman reported one of the canines killing a cat in the area.

Wednesday’s seminar told residents that it is unwise to let pets run around at dusk or dawn when coyotes are more active. They said if you come across a coyote, don’t run. Instead, make noise and wave your arms until they leave.

“You’re bigger than they are, so they’re going to be scared of you. So just make a lot of noise when you run into one,” Vidal said.

Cape Coral also plans to hold three more wildlife seminars this year, discussing Florida snakes, Florida mammals, and living with wildlife.