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WEBVTT PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECTYOURSELF AND FAMILY.>> YOU DON'T WANT COYOTES LIVINGIN YOUR RESIDENTIALNEIGHBORHOOD, YOU WANT TO FEELSAFE.CASEY: THAT'S ESPECIALLY TRUEFOR BROOKE ANDRY, WHO SAYS HERCAT, LUVIE, HAD A CLOSE CALLWITH A COYOTE IN A NEIGHBOR'SYARD.>> SHE SAID, "OH MY GOSH, I JUSTSAW A COYOTE IN MY DRIVEWAY.IT MADE A BIG RUCKUS, I THOUGHTSOMEONE WAS TRYING TO BREAK INTOMY HOUSE."SO WHEN SHE OPENED HER CURTAINAND BANGED ON THE WINDOW, ITLOOKED AT HER AND THEN SHEREALIZED IT HAD LUVIE PINNEDBEHIND THE NEIGHBORS A.C. UNIT.CASEY: THEN LAST WEEK, HER OTHERCAT, ACE, WENT MISSING.LOOKING THROUGH ONLINE POSTS SHEREALIZED THERE ARE MORE MISSINGPETS.>> OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARENEARBY, THAT RUN ALONG THERAILROAD TRACKS BETWEEN CITYPARK AND MY NEIGHBORHOOD, WE'VESEEN A LOT OF COMMENTS THATANIMALS ARE MISSING AND THEYDO NOT KNOW WHY.CASEY: SHE SUSPECTS A COYOTE ISPREYING ON THEM. COYOTES ARE IN EVERY MAJORCITY ACROSS THE U.S. AND THEYHAVE BEEN HERE FOR SOME TIME.CASE BEAU GAST HUMANES SOCIETYOF NEW ORLEANS PRESIDENT. >> IF THEY SEE A SMALL ANIMAL,THEY WILL TAKE IT.BUT IT IS RARE FOR THEM TO DOTHAT.CASEY: GAST SAYS THE WILD ANIMALIS TIMID BUT OPORTUNISTIC ANDWILL TAKE WHAT THEY CAN FIND.BUT TO KEEP THEM FROM GETTING TOCOMFORTABLE NEAR YOUR HOME SHOWTHEM WHO IS BOSS.>> YOU MAKE DIRECT EYE CONTACTAND YOU DRIVE THEM OFF OF YOURPROPERTY.YOU ARE TELLING THE COYOTE, THISIS MY PROPERTY, I RUN THIS ANDYOU DON'T, LEAVE.CASEY: HE ADVISES AGAINSTTRAPPING OR POISONING THEANIMALS BECAUSE THEY'LLREPOPULATE TO REBUILD THE PACK

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Coyote sightings in one New Orleans neighborhood have some residents guarding their pets and others searching for theirs after several pets have disappeared in the Lakewood South subdivision.One local animal rehabilitator said coyotes are not uncommon in urban areas, but that is no comfort to neighbors with cats that have vanished in recent weeks."You don't want coyotes living in your residential neighborhood. It doesn't feel safe," said Brooke Andry.Her cat Luvie had a close call with a coyote in a neighbor's yard two weeks ago."I get a text from her (the neighbor) at midnight. She said, 'Oh my gosh, I just saw a coyote in my driveway. It made a big ruckus. I thought someone was trying to break into my house.' So when she opened her curtain and banged on the window, it looked at her and then she realized it had Luvie pinned behind the neighbors AC unit," Andry said.Then last Tuesday, Andry's other cat, Ace, disappeared. While she was looking through online posts, she realized there were more missing pets."Other neighborhoods that are nearby that run along the railroad tracks between City Park and my neighborhood, we've seen a lot of comments that animals are missing and they don't know why," she said.Andry said the coyotes have been spotted on surveillance cameras roaming behind homes on Marcia Avenue near the railroad tracks. In the past month, a mauled cat carcass was found in a vacant lot on Bellaire Drive. On that same street, another cat is missing. Andry suspects a coyote is preying on the cats."Coyotes are in every major city across the U.S., and they've been here for a while," said Beau Gast, Humane Society of New Orleans president. "Typically, with a city the size of New Orleans and with the rodent population in the city, they're going after rats and mice. That's what they're eating. If they see a small dog, they may take it, but it's very rare for them to do that."Gast said the wild animal is timid but opportunistic and will take whatever food source it can get, but to keep them from getting too comfortable near your home, he said show them who is in control by hazing them."What you'll do when you're hazing them is put a bunch of pennies in a bottle, make direct eye contact with that coyote and drive them off of your property. Essentially what you're telling that coyote is, 'This is my property. I run this, you don't. Leave," he said.He advises against trapping or poisoning the animals because they tend to repopulate to rebuild the pack, and usually in larger numbers. Since the animals are more active at dawn and dusk, he said it is best to keep pets inside around those times of day. He also said to walk dogs on a leash and to not feed coyotes.Gast said it is very rare for a coyote to attack or harm a human, and you're more likely to get bitten by a dog. Anyone interested in arranging a community meeting to teach neighbors how to manage coyotes can call 888-308-3922.Keep up with local news, weather and current events with the WDSU app here. Sign up for our email newsletters to get breaking news right in your inbox. Click here to sign up!