Coyote Captured in Sandy Springs

SANDY SPRINGS, GA -- A long-time wild animal removal specialist recently made a trip to Sandy Springs to capture a coyote spotted by residents in a neighborhood situated near the Chattahoochee River.

Timothy C. Smith of Catchitwild.com said he had to utilize his skills over the weekend to remove a coyote from a neighborhood near Winterthur Drive, which sits off Heards Ferry Road/Northside Drive near the Hooch in Sandy Springs.

The latest coyote was the third one he's trapped and removed from the area in the last two weeks, Smith added.

Smith said his services are normally requested when residents hear them at night and, unfortunately, when their pets disappear.

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Smith has been in the business of capturing coyotes for 14 years, but Catchitwild.com has been going strong for 20 years. The company specializes in removing a variety of wild animals, including beavers, foxes, opossums, bats, moles and even carcasses and animal droppings.

According to the Georgia Department of Natural Resource's Wildlife Management Office, the nocturnal animals often use high-pitched cries and shrieks to communicate.

Breeding usually takes place during late winter or early spring, with pups born in brush piles or excavated dens. Those pups are weened at about five to eight weeks of age.

Female coyotes can give birth to several pups at a time, Smith stated. Now that early summer is here, those pups are now two to three months old and are on the hunt for food.

"And that’s what you are seeing," he added.

DNR recommends the following tips to prevent coyotes from attacking and killing household pets:

• bring pets indoors at night, as that’s when most coyotes hunt.
• if the pet must be kept outside, put up fencing to discourage coyotes.
• small livestock or poultry should be kept in an enclosed or sheltered area.

DNR also warns against feeding coyotes, keeping grills, pet food or bird feeders off-limits, cleaning and storing grills when they are not being used, feeding pets inside and keeping pet food indoors; and refilling bird fillers infrequently or in small amounts.

You should also make your trash inaccessible by keep lids securely fastened or storing garbage cans in a secured location until trash pick-up.

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Photo credit: Catch It Wild