Coyotes are Taking Over Our Neighborhood - Do You Have Dangerous Animals Where You Live?
@DeborahDiane (40852)
Laguna Woods, California
October 15, 2015 1:18pm CST
Yesterday, my walking friend picked me up to walk at the beach. When she pulled onto my street, there was a coyote at the corner. There are only homes on one side of the street where I live, and there were two coyotes on the hillside across the street from my house. As we pulled away, there was a mother and baby coyote at the other corner. In total, we saw five coyotes on my street alone within a few minutes!
Just now, I heard on the news that a 3 year-old child was bitten today by a coyote in the nearby town of Irvine, California. The child was inside the garage and the father was standing nearby.
A couple of months ago, some other friends of ours in Laguna Beach had their dog snatched by a coyote from their garage while they were standing nearby.
I support wild animals and nature, but I think things are getting dangerous.
Are there any wild animals that are dangerous where you live?
12 people like this
13 responses
@crazyhorseladycx (39503)
• United States
15 Oct 15
that's the troubles with droughts - lives lil food fer the critters 'n they tend to move in. i watched a documentary a few months back where they were trackin' coyotes 'n the numbers - in town - were quite staggerin'. purty much we've jest coyotes here. a lil further north they've big cats 'n wolves 's well. further north, there's bears thrown into the mix. while man's no tolerance 'f 'em doin' such, they're jest tryin' to survive. but, i understand where yerself 'n others'r comin' from.
3 people like this
@DeborahDiane (40852)
• Laguna Woods, California
16 Oct 15
We don't have bears around here, but we do have both bob cats and mountain lions. A mountain lion on the edge of Irvine made the national news a couple of years ago when it attacked two bicyclists and killed one of them. People in my neighborhood have seen the big cats, but I haven't in a couple of years.
2 people like this
@crazyhorseladycx (39503)
• United States
16 Oct 15
@DeborahDiane scary schtuff when they 'move in' 's folks call it. actually, we're the one's who moved in, they jest went out further to avoid's. but, when times're hard - wildfires 'n drought destroys their ability to survive, jest's their human counter-parts, they'll do what's necessary. that survival instinct jest kicks in.
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40852)
• Laguna Woods, California
16 Oct 15
@crazyhorseladycx - Yes, the wildfires have destroyed their habitat and I think the drought has caused them to move closer to homes. We live a couple of blocks from a golf course with water hazards and I think that has attracted a lot of the coyotes.
3 people like this
@DianneN (254926)
• United States
16 Oct 15
How sad for that boy and that poor little dog! Wild animals seem to be appearing where they are not welcome, but we are destroying their homes. We. too, have seen coyotes, black bears, and foxes in our yard. That is why I am almost attached to Doodles, the cat, when I take him outside.
2 people like this
@DeborahDiane (40852)
• Laguna Woods, California
23 Oct 17
@Hannihar - I'm glad Mitzi survived! Outdoor cats seem to have a shorter lifespan.
1 person likes this
@Hannihar (130150)
• Israel
24 Oct 17
@DeborahDiane
Thank you for that. She lived till the age of 20. She was 4 months shy of her 21st birthday. I guess I did something right with her. I loved her so much and it was so hard to let her go. That is why she do the decision in her own hands and knew what she had to do. She went to sleep and did not wake up. It was so so hard.
2 people like this
@Hannihar (130150)
• Israel
23 Oct 17
@DeborahDiane
Where we used to live the cat I had before Sophie was Mitzi. She loved to go out. She just happened to be outside when they were around and the lady one was by our building when I came home to feed the animals and my Mitzi was still out there. I was worried for her safety, but, she came home all in one piece.
2 people like this
@DeborahDiane (40852)
• Laguna Woods, California
16 Oct 15
I'm glad you have not seen them around your home. Be careful if you do, though. They may look like dogs, but they can be dangerous.
@marguicha (230365)
• Chile
15 Oct 15
I live in a big city, so there are no wild animals nearby. Still there is the danger of the brown recluse, a poisinous spiders that lives in the houses.
2 people like this
@DeborahDiane (40852)
• Laguna Woods, California
16 Oct 15
Oh, yes! The brown recluse and other poisonous spiders can be very dangerous.
@AbbyGreenhill (45490)
• United States
15 Oct 15
We live in the country so there are all kinds of things, but we only saw one coyote in the last two years...doesn't mean there aren't more. At least we don't have bears.
2 people like this
@DeborahDiane (40852)
• Laguna Woods, California
16 Oct 15
Yes, coyotes can keep themselves hidden pretty well. I'm glad we don't have bears, either.
@AbbyGreenhill (45490)
• United States
16 Oct 15
@DeborahDiane Bears aren't far from here, but not so close that any have been spotted.
@Hannihar (130150)
• Israel
20 Oct 17
Where I used to feed the stray cats early in the morning all of a sudden a porcupine appeared. It gave me the creeps. It would take the cat's food away from them and eat it. One cat remained and continued to eat. The male would come often and then one time I was going back to my building after feeding them and saw the female. I was very nervous but she did not bother me and I went in the building and up to my apartment. I was very nervous when my cat was outside and was not sure they would harm her. I was so relieved when my cat would come and knock on the door to let me know she wanted in and only then I was relieved that she was safe.
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40852)
• Laguna Woods, California
21 Oct 17
@Hannihar - I can understand your concern. Domestic pets and wild animals do not mix together very well. The pets usually end up on the losing end.
@arthurchappell (44941)
• Preston, England
18 Oct 15
We are quite safe in Britain, apart from pet dogs that get out of control. There is only one poisonous snake here and that is very rare
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40852)
• Laguna Woods, California
20 Oct 15
I am glad that you do not have many dangerous animals where you live.
1 person likes this
@antonbunot (11146)
• Calgary, Alberta
16 Oct 15
O, yeah, we have here in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, too! There are not very many coyotes wandering in the city but SKUNKS! Ahu, one night I came home from work, a couple of skunks were crawling in front of our house! I had to stay in my car for a while before running like hell to the door! 
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
19 Oct 15
I've never seen one before, I didn't realize how close to a dog they looked.
While we have them in the outskirts of town, and the residents there can hear them, I don't think they come up to the homes yet. I don't really know, though, as I don't read the local papers. I only hear the news as my husband shares what's of interest to him.
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40852)
• Laguna Woods, California
20 Oct 15
I have learned that they can be vicious at times. It is good to be cautious around them.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (238388)
• Walnut Creek, California
16 Oct 15
Coyotes ate my horse's pet Canada goose. They also have eaten several of our barn kitties. But I don't see them in the neighborhoods much. We have bobcats and mountain lions, but they usually stay away from people. The rattlesnakes here are shy too.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (238388)
• Walnut Creek, California
20 Oct 15
@DeborahDiane We get a couple of stories a year up here about mountain lions attacking joggers. On the trails, I've seen dozens of coyotes, about ten rattlesnakes, and a handful of skunks, but never a mountain lion.
@DeborahDiane (40852)
• Laguna Woods, California
20 Oct 15
We have all the same creatures here in Southern California. The coyotes are the only ones that don't seem to be afraid of people ... and an occasional mountain lion.
@JamesHxstatic (29410)
• Eugene, Oregon
16 Oct 15
Here in our very nearby hills, there are black bears and cougars, a coyote was spotted about a mile from our house, alone, but probably not for long. Lack of food and water and people encroaching on what used to be the animals' home.
So many coyotes is a bit scary.
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29410)
• Eugene, Oregon
16 Oct 15
@DeborahDiane That is probably a good theory.
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40852)
• Laguna Woods, California
16 Oct 15
I think the coyotes are moving into our area because of the drought, too. We live a couple of blocks from a golf course with water hazards, so I think that is why so many of them are hanging around.
1 person likes this
@lilnana1111 (2305)
• United States
16 Oct 15
That's scary! I haven't run into any wild animals and hope I don't.
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40852)
• Laguna Woods, California
20 Oct 15
I hope you don't run into any dangerous animals, either.
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
16 Oct 15
Yes, they are. Hopefully the winter rains will give them the water and food they are searching for in the suburbs.
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40852)
• Laguna Woods, California
20 Oct 15
I hope that the rain will drive them further from civilization, too.
