VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — An unwanted visitor is causing a stir in Virginia Beach. A viewer captured video of a coyote in a neighborhood near Owls Creek boat ramp earlier this week.
“Look at him,” Mark Wilson can be heard saying in the video.
Wilson said he was working his overnight shift Monday when he saw the four-legged animal and took out his camera. He followed the coyote in his car along the intersection of Grace Avenue and Southside Road.
“He’s right in front of me. Look!” said Wilson in the video. “He doesn’t have anywhere to go.”
Meredith Broadhurst is President of Evelyn’s Wildlife Refuge, a non-profit dedicated to rehabbing injured or orphaned wildlife in Virginia. She said coyotes are all over the Commonwealth and they’re more likely to be out in public right now because it’s mating season.
“There is really no area in this area that doesn’t have them,” said Broadhurst. “What we try to tell people to do is not to panic. Most people think if they are in their area they are out for the cats, dogs, and children. Not to say they would not go after a small dog or cat. But most of the time they are looking for food.”
If you run into a coyote, Broadhurst said to make a loud noise! It’s part of a strategy called hazing, which is a method to deter them. Other forms include spraying the coyotes with a hose or throwing sticks at them.
“Anything to make them uncomfortable and not feel invited to your area,” she said.
Pet owners, she said, should bring their pets inside, just to be on the safe side, if they know a coyote could be in their area.
At the end of the day, Broadhurst said to take precautions but don’t panic or become too worried.
Virginia law does not allow for coyotes to be taken in, said Broadhurst. The animals are considered a nuisance by the state, so if you come across an injured coyote, she says your best option is to notify Animal Control.