Coyote Sighting Alarms Dacula Residents: Report

DACULA, GA — Are coyotes wandering the Atlanta suburbs? No one knows for sure, but at least one has been spotted in a Dacula subdivision, according to a media report.

One local resident recently posted a photo to social media of a large coyote at the entrance to the Charleston Park subdivision, WSB-TV Channel 2 reported. Two other residents showed the TV station evidence of tracks left by a coyote along a neighborhood street.

Once native to the West, coyotes these days can be found all over the United States. As the weather warms up and people spend more time outdoors with their pets, encounters with coyotes are more likely, but still rare, say wildlife experts.

One website offers eight safety tips when encountering coyotes. They include never feeding coyotes, keeping pets indoors or in enclosed runs, and keeping dogs on short leashes.

A Dacula resident told Channel 2 that she's keeping her dog on a short leash and suspects there's more than one coyote in her neighborhood.

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Image: A coyote like this one was spotted in a Dacula subdivision (Georgia Department of Natural Resources).