Abbey Zelko

azelko@ydr.com

Kayla Robinson has seen coyotes near her home in Red Lion before.

They come by her house pretty regularly – about once or twice a week, she said. And lately, they’ve been coming closer, sometimes even right up to her deck.

“They’re not scared of us anymore,” she said. “We can go outside, and they won’t run.”

But she wasn’t concerned about it until Sunday night when she let her 50- to 60-pound pit bull-great Dane mix out just after dark and returned to find the dog being attacked by a coyote. The dog suffered wounds to its face and tail, and scratches on its stomach and back, Robinson said.

Robinson is just one of several York County residents who have raised concerns about recent coyote sightings on the Southern York County Facebook page this week.

Coyote population rises in York County, but the 'ghosts of the woods' are mostly unseen

On Dec. 6, a Shrewsbury resident posted that he saw a wild animal, which he believed to be a coyote, near his home three times in a span of four days. The post said, “Neighbors beware especially if you have smaller pets outside.”

Another Facebook user reported a sighting on Mount Airy Road toward Windy Hill Road in Shrewsbury Township.

And another said she saw an accident on I-83 South near Plank Road in Shrewsbury Township Friday morning caused by a “coyote the size of a large deer." However, the Shrewsbury Volunteer Fire Company fire chief said the animal involved was a deer.

Jeffrey Mock, regional supervisor at the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s southcentral regional office, said he has no doubt coyotes are living in southern York County.

“We have coyotes in all 67 counties in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” Mock said. “They’re here, they’re part of our ecosystem and we just have to learn how to live with them.”

But despite the recent concern on Facebook, he and Wild Conservation Officer Steve Knickel said they have not received reports of an increase in coyote attacks or coyote population in York County.

“It’s not that our numbers of coyotes are going up by any means,” Knickel said. “We’ve always had coyotes in a pretty good number here … It’s not something that’s news to me or any hunters out there.”

Coyote attacks on pets aren’t a regular occurrence in York County, he added. Knickel said he hasn’t received a report of one since June of 2015.

But he does recognize that they can happen.

If you know a coyote is hanging around your house, he said, don’t let your pet outside unsupervised.

Here’s what to do if you see a coyote:

Observe from a distance. Don’t try to approach or corner a coyote. This will make the animal feel threatened.

Don’t try to approach or corner a coyote. This will make the animal feel threatened. Make some noise. Coyotes will most likely see or smell you before you see them. But just in case, make some noise to let the coyote know you’re there. Chances are, they’ll run away.

Coyotes will most likely see or smell you before you see them. But just in case, make some noise to let the coyote know you’re there. Chances are, they’ll run away. Back away from the animal.

If you have concerns about a coyote that has attacked or tried to attack your pet, call the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Southcentral Region office at 814-643-1831. Concerns will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.