Here’s the press release from Raleigh Police on last week’s coyote incident. WRAL’s story identified the man as Stephen Keating, 24.
Many have pointed out that dogs aren’t allowed in Schenck Forest. I suspect this incident might make dog owners think twice about breaking this rule.
On July 1 at about 6:30 p.m., Raleigh Police Department officers, N.C. State University Police Department officers and Raleigh Animal Control Unit personnel responded to a wooded area off the 4800 block of Reedy Creek Road in regard to an incident that involved coyotes shadowing a man and his dog.
The man said he was walking in Schenck Forest when his dog’s behavior caused him to survey their surroundings, and he saw three coyotes. As he reversed his course and began moving away, the coyotes followed and flanked him. The man took shelter on an elevated manhole and called 911.
Responders parked their vehicles and followed trails until two of the officers found the man and the dog (a 5-6 month-old boxer). The officers then began to escort them out of the wooded area. The coyotes followed and flanked the party for an estimated 300 yards until the woods gave way to a clearing.
Coyote sighting are common and are generally not a cause for concern. However, animal control officials should always be notified if wildlife is seen behaving unusually or in an aggressive manner. In Raleigh, animal control resources can be contacted at 919-831-6311.
A 911 call concerning the incident is available at the link below. As required by § 132-1.4, information has been redacted from the call, and its audio has been altered to disguise the male caller’s natural voice. In addition, the man’s remote location resulted in a considerable amount of dead air during the call, and that irrelevant content has been redacted to reduce the file size enough to provide it via the link.
Editors: Wildlife management is a function of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. In terms of general information about human interactions with coyotes, Web resources, including this link, may provide helpful background information.