MARGATE, FLA. (WSVN) - A coyote has been spotted in the backyard of a woman’s Margate home, where she often takes her dog out for walks.
Denise Devote has lived in the neighborhood for two years, and she took video of the animal on her cellphone, at around 1:30 p.m., Tuesday.
“It was meandering right here, back and forth, right behind our house,” she said. “There was, like, nothing but the palm tree between me and this coyote.”
The coyote was spotted feet from her back porch and in the yard where she walks her dog, Buddy. Buddy was away from danger when Devote spotted the neighborhood visitor, but she will not soon forget the rush of adrenaline she felt.
“I’m standing right here, and he walked alongside the canal, and then, he was right over here,” Devote said.
Although Devote expressed concern, she is not surprised she spotted the animal.
In October, Tamarac resident Alan Moreno’s little dog was killed by a coyote, and others who live nearby spotted the animal, too.
“The coyote comes and runs this way, grabs him by the neck and drags him out,” Moreno said.
The sightings have left neighbors in the area on edge, and the Margate residents feel the same way after the afternoon sighting.
“There’s been more sightings than usual for whatever the reason is,” Devote said.
She added that when she called wildlife officials, they told her to get an empty can, fill it with coins and shake it if she encounters the coyote again.
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