Pack of coyotes living in Spring Hill neighborhood
SPRING HILL –
For years she only heard them at night howling in the distance.
But during the past two months, Sandy Mihalus has seen a pack of coyotes in the daytime roaming her neighborhood and the surrounding area of what used to be Lake Theresa in Spring Hill.
Mihalus, 63, said she doesn’t know what’s attracted them to the area but she sees at least five coyotes, some pups and others as large as German shepherds, on a daily basis.
She said the coyotes even come as close as her screened in pool and numerous neighborhood cats have disappeared.
“My concern is after researching the Internet, I found instances where they will actually break through your lanai screen,” she said. “It’s become a danger to our pets and wildlife.”
Mihalus and her neighbors are worried the coyotes may attack more animals, or even a small child, and have turned to the city, county and state for help.
“Our main concern is that we control the coyote population and that we push them back so they are back into the wild and not into our neighborhood where they are causing all of this concern and threat to our pets and our wildlife,” she said. “We could make a concerned effort to at least try to control this problem because it’s obviously a big problem.”
After speaking with the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, Mihalus was told to contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Mihalus said deputies told her she can shoot the coyotes if they are on her property and are threatening the safety of people or animals, but Mihalus, who is a vegetarian, said she is afraid she may accidently hit a dog, mistaking it for a coyote.
“It really pains me to think that I would have to shoot an animal,” she said.
Officials at the FWC said there’s not much that can be done.
Gretchen Hochnedel, wildlife assistance biologist for the southwest region, said the FWC is hesitant to remove the coyotes because they are unlikely to attack humans and simply respond to population control procedures, like relocations, by breeding more.
“Population control doesn’t really work in small locations,” she said. “It’s just a defeating battle. Nationwide people have been trying to eradicate coyotes for hundreds of years but they are more prevalent than ever.”
Hochnedel recommends that pet owners keep pets inside or on a close leash, carry a stick or pepper spray when taking animals on walks and to always keep trash in a secure container.
“The best thing we can do is provide technical assistance for people so they can know best how to protect their pets,” she said.
Mihalus’ neighbor, Dr. James Hicks, who is a veterinarian at Westside Animal Clinic, said he fears the longer the coyotes are around, the more comfortable they will become with humans.
“We literally see them walking in the streets and in our yards,” he said. “I hope someone takes the time to trap and relocate them to the swamps or boondocks.”
