Coyote Awareness in Nashville, TN

Comments

Letters to the Editor- Comment in the City Paper

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Howling mad

I just cannot understand why we can live in a community and do not have any leadership that will even attempt to help us with the situation about coyotes. You may think that this is an unimportant issue, but just try leaving your pet outside for one night in Green Hills and see what happens. Surprise! They will probably be gone by morning.

We have contacted Mayor Dean, our [Metro Council] representative Carter Todd, the Wildlife of Tennessee and the Humane Society about this.

You cannot use a gun to shoot them as it is against the law to fire a gun in Davidson County. You cannot set out traps as you will get your neighbor’s cat. You cannot use poison as it may also get someone else’s pet if the coyotes don’t.

Even Mayor Dean lost his cat to a coyote, but it’s just like Washington — just ignore it and maybe it will go away …or maybe we can get some of the stimulus money from Gov. Bredesen to help this.

J.W. 37215

Thanks so much for this info. I'm going to go out right away and buy myself a whistle -- and maybe some mace, too! I love walking at Percy Warner (and at Edwin) and I don't want to give up my walks, but this sure was a scary situation.

And you're right about the coyote scat -- after I saw the photo on your site, I realized the scat we had seen all over the road on our walk yesterday was from coyotes.

Keep up the good work -- it's important to make people aware of the risks,

Lynn

Hello,

I am glad I found your sight. Very informative. I am new to the area and I am quite alarmed by the fact coyotes roam here in Nashville. Many years ago, I had been an unfortunate first hand witness to a brutal coyote mauling of a little dog while I was visiting my father in Laguna Nigel, California. This coyote came out of nowhere grabbed a neighbors little dog and the rest is too gruesome and forever etched in my memory to actually repeat.
My Nashville coyote sighting was about two weeks ago on a Sunday night at around 1:30 AM. I was driving home from work into my condo complex located on Harding Place next to Harding Academy when my headlights hit what I thought was a large dog. But as I got closer I realized that the mangy creature was a coyote. It was pretty big for a coyote which means it has a good food source. He sauntered across Harding Place and over to the golf course. After speaking to many locals, I believe it was a scout looking for easy prey and food in the complex. If there is any way to alert the residents of Belle Meade or the authorities please do so. I think that being informed and taking precaution is the best defense we have to keep our family pets safe.
Thank you,
PJ

Bless you for your work - I appreciate what you advocate and am sorry for
your pet loss - I have spotted coyotes around the area for years and the
fact that I hadn't seen any this year has probably made me too optimistic
that they were not still around - thanks for making me more vigilant -

Leonard

JUNE' O9

''i am on 54th ave. no. in sylvan park, & we frequently spot coyotes--usually just one, but occasionally a pair. virtually all the feral/outside cats in the area have gone missing--i don't let my kitties out any longer. we take up the food we put out for neighborhood cats before dark & several times, we've found coyote scat in the empty dish--their comment''

MAY 10- 2009

I saw a coyote tonight on Currywood Drive, somewhere between Brownlee Dr. and Robin Hill Rd. It was around 9:15 pm, give or take a few minutes. I was so shocked, I didn't have the presence of mind to make a note of the exact location or look at a mailbox. Anyhow, it was kind of scrawny (either slightly juvenile or underfed) and crossed the road in front of me with what appeared to be a small mammal (squirrel sized) hanging limply from its mouth. It was definitely not a cat.

I just moved back to Nashville this year after living in Virginia for seven years. I lived in Nashville for seventeen years prior to moving to Virginia, but had never seen a coyote and was completely unaware of their presence in Nashville. I could barely believe my eyes, but I have seen them out West before and was sure it was one. Plus, it was a very close encounter -- I was driving slowly, and passed right in front of my car at a leisurely pace. When I got home, I googled "coyotes west meade" to confirm my sighting, which is how I found your site. My family has two cats, one of whom loves to go outside. We hadn't let her out since our return to Nashville, and we definitely won't be doing so now. Thank you very much for the important community information. Feel free to post my sighting on your website.

Best Regards,

W. Fawns

''Hi,

I live in West Meade on Rodney Drive. My beloved 12 year old cat went missing on March 5, 2009. She was an indoor cat and was declawed. She had never been outside or shown any interest in going outside...but that is the only explanation b/c I was loading the car that day and left the door open and she was gone. I have searched for her extensively and I now believe that she must have gone outside during that short time that the door was open and was killed by a coyote. She was very skittish and would not have gone far on her own.I have heard several comments about coyotes before from people in the neighborhood. I saw a coyote in a neighbor's yard on Friday night, April 17, around 11 pm. Also, on April 20 and 9 am and again at 10 pm in my yard. Also, this morning around 10 am. In each case, the coyote was crossing the road and seemed to be coming out of a wooded area. I posted the info on Craigslist but I don't know what else to do. Thanks for your website!''

Liz

''I live on Abbott Martin and this makes 3 years we have had this problem, which is constantly growing, yet we get no help whatsoever from Davidson Cty''

''Thanks for your website making people aware of the coyote problem in Nashville. I live in the Southerland Heights neighborhood of Donelson (Opryland area near Two Rivers Baptist Church and the Opryland Springhouse Golf course) We are having coyote sightings nearly daily. I personally have seen one 3 different times. Twice in my own back yard. I have had a kitty missing since last Aug.''

'' Just wanted to thank you for being so proactive about the coyote problem. We live on Woodlawn and have two small dogs and only an electric fence for half our yard. Hedges around the rest of the property. I live in fear of coyotes attacking my sweet pups''

''I just read your story...How crazy is that! I lived in Michigan way out in the country and encountered coyotes regularly but in the city that's crazy. They need to be pushed back out. I'm really sorry for your loss! ''

''It's just good to know others are aware. I thought maybe I was going crazy having had two spottings right about in the same area. ''

''We bought a house in Sumner County. You can hear them yapping. The neighbors claimed that they won't jump hotwire...yet one of their goats disappeared.Neighbors said some come to the door in broad daylight...sigh...Do they hunt in day and night now? I rehabbed wildlife for years but they aren't a critter we ever encountered ''

''My husband likes to walk at night when the weather is too hot and humid. Last Friday (6/5/09), he went for a walk at 11:45 PM. He encountered a coyote on Brownlee Drive between Cornwall and Pennywell. It came from the woods on down the hill, crossed Brownlee Drive, and went up a driveway into the woods where the two green water towers sit at the top. It was a rather large coyote that didn't look like it had missed many meals lately.
The coyote crossed the street just about 50 feet in front of him and continued to walk up the opposite hill without ever seeming to notice my husband. This is the fifth coyote sighting seen by one of us on Brownlee Drive in the past few years. One time, a mangy looking coyote came down from the woods and sat under a tree in our yard for more than an hour. We called several agencies, and we were told they couldn't do anything until the coyote did harm. ''

''Thank you for placing the sign up in our yard this evening. I hope it helps work toward solving the problem in our area. If just one pet owner or parent of a toddler thinks twice about leaving their small pet or child unattended for 30 seconds, then it will be well worth it.

I didn't mention before, but my husband's cousin who lives off Post Road in Hill Place subdivision let a dog out to go to the bathroom late one night. He was dressed only in his undershorts, so he waited by the door while the small dog went out to do his business. A coyote took that dog while he watched unable to run out in the yard. ''

''I saw one of your signs in Charlotte Park a few weeks ago. Anyway I worry about the lack of awareness around the area''