Seminole County residents suspect coyotes responsible for missing pets, injured livestock

WINTER SPRINGS, Fla. — Sam Nichols can hear the coyotes around her State Road 434 property barking and howling every night, but it is what she finds in the morning that has caused her worries to peak.

“I’m burying something almost every day,” Nichols said.

She has a cat, chickens, turkeys and horses on her Winter Springs property, and believes they have all become targets for coyotes.

And Nichols is not alone, a neighbor told Channel 9 that her turkeys have also been victims.

She found one turkey after it had been attacked, presumably by a coyote, and couldn’t do anything to save it.

“She died the next morning because she bled out,” the neighbor said.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission responded to Nichols’ property after one of her horses was injured.

They put up cameras for several days but were not able to catch the coyotes, but do believe they have been attacking Nichols' chickens and turkeys.

While losing her animals has been devastating, Nichols worries that the coyotes might become bolder and escalate their attacks.

“We have a dangerous situation, because, you know, my neighbors have children who play in the backyard,” Nichols said.

Cox Media Group