Coyotes out of control

IREDELL COUNTY, N.C. -- Coyotes are showing up in record numbers this year in Iredell County, attacking animals and scaring people.

That’s why dozens of people who live there met Thursday night with wildlife experts, looking for some advice on how to deal with them.

Animal control workers say the problem is suddenly out of control. The director of Iredell County’s animal control services says they used to get a call a week about coyote, and now they get one to two calls a day.

Jennifer Morrison moved with her husband and 5-year-old to a beautiful downtown Statesville home a year ago. They have a huge backyard with woods behind them.

"We started noticing the sounds -- a lot of howling," Morrison said.

She says they wander into her yard and hang out by her son's swing set.

"We would see coyotes wander up into the yard. It sounds like there are literally almost 100 coyotes," she said.

Others who live in more rural parts of the county say they’re seeing the wild animals daily.

"I’ve seen several on my property. Late at night you can hear coyotes running with cows," Tim Pierce said, "It's getting worse and worse."

He’s right. Animal control officers say they can’t keep up with all the reports.

"It seems like were being bombarded with them. Coyotes have got their dogs, cats, domestic animals and cattle," said animal control director Chris Royal.

So what can you do about them? Wildlife experts say unfortunately, not much. They say shooting them or trapping them may only mean others come in their place.

They point out in most cases, coyotes are afraid of people, but they will attack small to medium size dogs and cattle. They say use common sense – don’t leave dog food on the porch and bring in pets whenever possible.

The animal experts also offered people an explanation for why Iredell County seems to be under attack. They tell us fox hunting was a popular sport years ago there, and at one time there was a shortage. People brought in coyotes illegally from out of state to hunt.

They believe Hurricane Hugo wiped out the dens that kept them under control, sending the coyotes into the wild, where they keep breeding.