LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — It's springtime in Southern Nevada, and — as Channel 13's Northwest Las Vegas reporter — I've seen more and more videos making the rounds on social media from locals spotting coyotes in their neighborhoods.
Viewer Cheryl Mangold shared a video with me showing a coyote walking 20 feet away from her in her Sun City Summerlin backyard after 5 p.m. in late March.
"I was cleaning my house and going to my kitchen, and on my way I like to come out [to the backyard] and see what's going on," Cheryl told me. "Then I peeked and said 'holy cow that's a coyote!' So I went and grabbed my camera."
Cheryl told me she was born and raised in Las Vegas and has lived in Sun City for 10 years, adding that she and her neighbors have seen an increase in coyote activity over the years.
"I've come out my sliding door and there was a coyote right there on my patio just standing there," Cheryl said. "My husband almost got run over by two running through the yard, and once there was one sunning itself on the wall like it belonged there!"
While seeing coyotes in our neighborhoods is just a part of living here in the Northwest Valley, spring — their breeding season — is a perfect time for some reminders, especially if you have pets.
I caught up with the Nevada Department of Wildlife to get some coyote safety tips for you and your family.
"First and foremost, do not feed them," NDOW spokesperson Doug Nielsen told me. "As soon as you start feeding coyotes — or any other wildlife — you'll have to deal with them, because they quickly become habituated to us and see us as a source of food. We don't want that."
NDOW says if you have a cat, try to keep them indoors, and keep your dogs on a short leash while you're out on a walk if you live in an area that's known to have coyotes.
Above all, though, officials say if you see a coyote in your neighborhood, do something — just like Cheryl did in her video!
"The worst thing you can do is nothing," Nielsen told me. "You have to be persistent and loud, make yourself look big, give them room to leave, because you want them to leave. As long as they're leaving, then that's what we want."
"What's your message to people, not just here in Sun City, but throughout the valley — especially after that crazy video?" I asked Cheryl.
"Keep your yard clean, and be on the lookout!" Cheryl responded. "I wouldn't go up close to them, that's for sure."
For more information about living with coyotes in Southern Nevada and a full list of safety tips, visit NDOW's website by clicking here.
If you live in the Northwest Valley and there's something you think we should know about — like coyotes in your backyard — we want to hear from you! You can email me at Guy.Tannenbaum@KTNV.com or simply fill out the form below:
