The coyote that roams the Corona Heights area has attracted renewed attention from local residents after one intrepid neighbor captured this dreamy footage of the animal:
This morning, there were two more sightings. The first, at 6am, prompted a neighbor to reported via Nextdoor: “I just saw a large coyote by the concrete block near the Randall museum parking lot entrance. Please be careful!”
An hour and a half later, the coyote approached tipster Sam S. by the tennis courts on 15th Street and around Beaver Street, near the elementary school. He contacted us about the encounter and said, “I tried scaring him off by shouting and stamping my feet but he wasn't at all deterred. It got very close to me and my dog.”
The neighbor who posted the video to Youtube yesterday wrote on Nextdoor that he thinks the coyote should be “relocated to a safe space":
He doesn't look like he gets enough food up there, and has little space to room with all the people and cars that box the park in. He's definitely scared of humans, but knows how close he can safely get. I personally think he should be relocated to a more remote place for his own well-being. I fear soon enough he'll meet his fate under the wheel of a car while venturing further out for food. He didn't seem like a threat at all to humans or dogs accompanied by humans, but you might keep your kitties inside for the time being.”
Other neighbors have since weighed in on the discussion, with one person noting that "coyotes cannot be relocated per California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife and SF Animal Care and Control. They are wild animals, and we must coexist with them."
As we noted in our recent guide to coping with coyotes and other urban wildlife, you can protect pets from coyotes by keeping dogs on a leash and cats indoors. If you encounter a coyote, shouting, tossing sticks and stones, and/or waving your arms are encouraged, as is helping the city keep tabs on them by contacting Animal Care & Control by email at ACC [AT] sfgov [DOT] org or call 415-554-6364.
Have you spotted the coyote roaming around the neighborhood lately? What do you think about Corona Heights' furry resident?
Thanks to tipsters Sam S. and R.H.
