Coyotes on prowl in Windsor Park like they own the place

Coyotes are on the prowl in Windsor Park, and some residents want the wild animals removed from their streets and walking paths in Heath Park.

“These Coyotes are walking the streets and seem very comfortable,” a resident posted Oct. 13 on Facebook . “This is a serious danger to the families and children and pets. Plus we back up to Heath Park where people walk and jog. We, as a community, are at loss as what to do!”

A call to Columbus officials confirmed what many residents already had discovered over the past month. A coyote has been sighted in the neighborhood, said Pat Biegler, director of Public Works which includes Animal Control.

Animal Control is busy trying to identify a contractor who is licensed and certified to trap them. “We believe that there is some area where it’s being clear-cut for future construction,” she said. “We believe that loss of habitat kind of flushed them out. I’m not ready to answer questions about what they can and can’t do. We don’t want citizens trying to capture them. We want to use a professional firm, because they can be dangerous.”

So far, Biegler said the sighting was just one, but there may be two. Whatever the number, she hopes to have a decision on a professional coyote trapper this week. Another concern is the city didn’t budget any money for the coyotes, so officials will have to find some money.

“We are going to have to evaluate a source of funds for that,” she said. “It is just very uncertain. We don’t know how many we are dealing with. We are not professionals when it comes to coyotes. We don’t want to take any chances.”

Holli Browder, director of Parks and Recreation, said she turned the wild animal report over to Animal Control. “Obviously, that is a little outside our realm,” she said. “We can’t do much with the animals.”

Browder noted the department doesn’t usually get those type of calls, because this is not a rural area. The report has alarmed some residents who use the park.

Charlie Killmaster, a wildlife biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, said coyotes appear in all 159 counties of the state. The population has increased substantially over the past 15 years.

“I think it just took them a while to get established here,” he said.

They ended up in Georgia through their natural eastward expansion from the western range 50 to 60 years ago. Fox hunters brought some to the state and released them. The expansion, combined with stocking the wild animals, started meshing when the population increased.

“I think people are scared of them because they are not accustomed to seeing them, but I don’t think they present any real danger to humans,” he said.

Once a coyote moves into an area, Killmaster said the animal is highly adaptable, much like deer, squirrels, raccoons and foxes. “When they move into a suburban or urban area, they pretty quickly realize nothing is going to hurt them. Nobody is shooting at them, nobody is doing anything to them so they get nonchalant. They will move around, walk down the street and seem like they have no negative interactions with humans.”

People shouldn’t be overly concerned about them, but they might be concerned if they have a small dog or cat. “They can and do take small pets that are maybe left out unattended, so don’t do things that might attract them to your area,” he said.

That includes leaving pet food outside at night. “They will be brazen enough to come up on a porch at night and eat cat food,” he said. “It’s always best to feed your pet and take remaining food up and don’t leave it out overnight.”

To help control coyotes, Killmaster said there is no closed season on coyotes. They can be shot or trapped year round almost with no limitations. People who live in urban areas, can’t discharge a firearm or don’t have the expertise or equipment to trap them can hire a trapper. “They can remove them from an area any time of the year,” he said.

Removing them from Heath Park would be fine with Browder. “We hope they will take care of whatever is out there so the users can certainly get back to the park while we’ve got this nice fall weather,” she said.

If you’ve seen something that needs attention, give me a call.

This story was originally published October 29, 2017 at 9:00 PM with the headline "Coyotes on prowl in Windsor Park like they own the place."