Coyotes killing family pets in Lake Mary, residents say

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — People who live in Lake Mary told Channel 9’s Angela Jacobs that a band of coyotes has been killing their pets.

Bob Cross, a trapper in Central Florida, told Eyewitness News he caught a coyote this week in a Lake Mary neighborhood near Heathrow Elementary School.

Cross believes urban sprawl is diminishing the food supply for both bears and coyotes in the wild, so the animals are coming into residential areas looking for food.

“They’ve become very accustomed to the human being, just like the bears. The bears don’t mind walking through your yard and going into your garage,” Cross said.

A woman told Eyewitness News that she blames a coyote for killing her Boston Terrier in February. Jennifer Mavrofrides said she was outside with her dogs late at night, and when she went back inside to get a flashlight, she heard a little yip from her dog.

“Be careful with your dog. If you’re out at night, keep them on a leash. Keep yourself so you’re a barrier between the great white open, because they’ll come so quick,” Mavrofrides said.

Cox Media Group