Coyote sightings in Lincoln have spurred public and social media debates this week over how to handle encountering one.
Steve Beal, animal control director, tells KLIN News they get roughly five to six calls per week.
“If we can locate the coyote, which we have a few times, we will run them off of there. We will literally – the animal control officers – will haze them to get them away,” Beal says.
Beal says sightings are common at Holmes Lake, Deer Branch Lake, Billy Wolf Trail and 80th and Pioneers.
Beal added they’re weighing options on whether or not to catch them.
A video surfacing on Twitter this week shows a coyote approaching bicyclists at Holmes Lake.
Take a look at this! Too close for comfort. We've been telling you about coyote issues at Holmes Lake. Jim Walz sent us this video. He says it was around 8:30 p.m. Wed night. pic.twitter.com/E42Pwga53d
— Rod Fowler (@RodFowlerKLKN) May 28, 2020
Beal says what happened at Holmes Lake isn’t considered an attack.
“It’s a behavior, a more brazen behavior, that we’ere concerned about.”
Beal says they’re weighing options if they should trap the animals.
“We’ve got to make a decision somewhere along the line if we have an aggressive coyote. We will need to make a decision,” he says.
He said any trapping would be in concert with wildlife specialists at the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. They would use a loop collar but Beal says that could also accidentally capture dogs.
KLIN’s Jack Mitchell said his home security system captured a coyote last night.
I really deserved this didn’t I. 10:33 last night at my house. pic.twitter.com/JYzMytYjLi
— Jack Mitchell (@JackMitchellLNK) May 29, 2020