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Experts give tips on what to do if you spot a coyote in your neighborhood

From south Charlotte to Lake Wylie and everywhere else across the Carolinas, Coyotes are coming out in droves.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- From south Charlotte to Lake Wylie and everywhere else across the Carolinas, Coyotes are coming out in droves.

Wildlife biologist Danny Ray said it's not rare for the summer and fall seasons to bring out the skittish canines.

"Coyotes are extremely adaptable," Ray said

He said coyotes didn't migrate to North Carolina until the late 1970s and early 1980s.

They reside in 49 states.

"They'd live in Hawaii if they didn't have to swim there," Ray said with a laugh.

Viewers tell NBC Charlotte they've seen coyotes throughout south Charlotte. It's not rare to see the canines anywhere, even in the outskirts of uptown.

Video sent to NBC Charlotte by Jeff Truitt, a Kings Mountain resident, shows Coyotes running alongside cows and other livestock.

"They do eat meat, they are efficient hunters," Ray said.

He also went on to stress that coyotes are not after you or your animals, unless they are alone.

Back in March, a German Shepherd named "Gabriel" was attacked by a group of Coyotes, requiring multiple vet visits and a bill that topped out around $12,000.

"They had ripped open both sides of his back and they had chewed up one of his legs," said Gabriel's owner.

Ray said a person walking by themselves does not necessarily have to feel alarmed.

"If the coyote doesn't move off quickly then just stop, turn around and move back in another direction," Ray said.

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