“We can hear the coyotes howling every night, a pack of them,” he said.

The city’s sprawling, woodsy landscape provides ample cover and sources of food. In Canton, another Atlanta suburb, a petting zoo enlisted guard dogs after coyotes took off with its baby lambs. In Buckhead, a wealthy neighborhood, residents have reported that coyotes have taken their pet swans and peacocks.

No people have been attacked by coyotes in Georgia, but the state has certified more than 200 trappers to remove or exterminate the animals. And coyotes can be hunted year round in the state.

But, Mr. McGowan said, as soon as one coyote is removed, another will usually take its place. “Unfortunately,” he said, “this looks like something that Atlanta will have to learn to live with.”