Hungry Coyote has a west Boca Raton neighborhood concerned

Article and Video Courtesy of Channel 12 News

By Al Pefley

Published June 4, 2015

Watch VIDEO

 

A west Boca Raton neighborhood is concerned about coyotes after a coyote snatched a dog over the weekend.

   
A closed door meeting at the Boca Winds Town Hall drew a standing room only crowd Monday night.
 
The issue: what to do about a coyote that snatched someone’s pet dog Saturday. The dog named Lola, a Yorkie-mix, has not been seen since.

    

Monday night, the HOA decided to send out letters warning homeowners to make sure their trash is in trash cans, so the coyote or coyotes will go elsewhere in search of food. The HOA wants to discourage people from putting trash in plastic bags at the curb.

  
Some are disappointed and say the HOA did not go far enough. They feel the HOA should’ve decided to bring in a trapper.
 

"I think really what everybody is most concerned about is getting the coyotes that are causing the problem out of here and that’s what really needed to be addressed tonight,” said Marci Seger, a Boca Winds resident.
 
At least one resident got cell phone video of the coyote.
Some worry the coyote appears to have lost its fear of humans. And if it would attack a dog, they feel it might also go after a small child.

“A dog got taken this weekend. So does a child need to get bitten for them to do something about it?” said Maria Skeba, a Boca Winds resident and parent of an 18-month old boy.

Some say the coyote they’ve seen is about two or three feet tall and about the size of a German Shepherd.

“It really freaks me out that a dog has been captured by a coyote. I’m scared of them a lot and I’m making sure I’m not outside a lot,” said Madison Ginsberg, age 9.

    

FWC is telling people to stop feeding feral cats, because it attracts coyotes.

“Are the coyotes a threat to the children in this neighborhood?” we asked. “No not at all,” said Amanda Phillips, a public information officer with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission who attended the meeting.

   
“ So these people have nothing to worry about as far as their own kids here?” we asked.

  
“As far as their own kids, I don’t believe so because there’s gonna be a lot of people around small children. The small children aren’t gonna be off by themselves,” explained Phillips.
  
The neighborhood recently hired a trapper for a week but no coyotes were caught.
   
The head of the Boca Winds HOA says they will discuss the coyote issue again at their next meeting and re-evaluate whether to hire a trapper once again.

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