Residents say the number and frequency of coyote sightings are on the rise in the North Valleys, sometimes right in their front yard. The sight of a single coyote might be a little jarring, but its worse when you see a whole pack trotting down your street. North Valley residents say it’s almost a daily occurrence, especially in the Lemmon Valley area.
On any given night in the North Valleys, you can hear the call of the wild, but unfortunately these critters of the night are often seen as well as heard, and sometimes attack pets.
"My dog was attacked right here in the front yard 2 years ago, and we are lucky to still have her. I mean, there were 2 coyotes on her, and that could have been lunch. It's a problem, it's a real problem," said Lemmon Valley resident Will Smith.
Luckily, Smith was there to protect his dog, and used the "I’m bigger than you are” tactic.
"Scared them off by screaming at them, and I have a strobe light on my flashlight, I activated that and that got them outta here," said Smith.
It's a strategy that the Nevada Department of Wildlife recommends anytime you happen across a wild coyote.
"We want to maintain their natural fear of humans, so if you do see a coyote, always scare it away, you never want that coyote to just think that humans aren't a threat, and that's going to keep them away from our neighborhoods," said Jessica Wolff, the Urban Wildlife Coordinator for the Nevada Department of Wildlife.
With the amount of growth and expansion in the North Valleys over the past couple of years, Residents tell me that these coyote sightings, and attacks, have become more frequent.
"I've noticed the commotion going on more so since the commercial buildings went up across the way, and then Swan Lake flooding, it seems to be pushing them into the neighborhood more than it used to," said Smith.
For some, like Debbie Butler, owner of the pig farm hog heaven, who realized the danger and has effectively taken pork off the coyote's menu.
"We have electric fences that run all of our acreage, and so once in a great while you see a coyote pop through that fence and they have a hard time going back out, but they usually do," said Butler.
And even if they are a danger to pets, and possibly small children if left unattended, NDOW says that the chances of a coyote attack are very small.
“You are more likely to be killed by a golf ball than to even be bit by a coyote,” said Wolff. “We are in their habitat, they are going to be here, so we really have to learn to live with the coyotes rather than push against the coyotes."
And while NDOW tells us there is no need to report wildlife if you see them passing by, you can report attacks by calling the Department of Wildlife's Dispatch at 775-688-1331.
