The Tybee coyote is getting renewed attention after its recent encounter with a small dog.
Sharon Toraya was walking her dachshund, Bella, and her West Highland terrier, Jack, down Center Avenue about 10 p.m. Thursday when she saw it.
“I looked up, and he’s standing right under a streetlight,” she said. “I thought ‘Oh my God’ it’s the coyote.”
The coyote has been playing hide-and-seek with its fans and detractors since at least the spring, when Tybee Animal Control’s effort to trap it using a cage failed. Coyotes are found in all of Georgia’s counties, according to the state Department of Natural Resources.
Toraya, who’s staying on Tybee while repairs are made to her Savannah home, had only recently become aware of the coyote through a Facebook posting.
When she saw it Thursday, she stomped her feet and yelled “Scat,” but the coyote didn’t move.
Toraya also stood her ground, not wanting to retreat and have the coyote give chase.
But Jack, her 12-year-old Westie, had other ideas. Usually slow-moving and disinclined even to climb stairs, Jack slipped his collar and took off after the coyote. Toraya followed, fearing that Jack would run into traffic.
Instead, a couple on bicycles — Sherry and Michael Eddings — intercepted Jack on Butler Avenue.
“They were in a scuffle,” Sherry Eddings said. “It looked like two dogs fighting.” Chunks of fur flew off Jack, Eddings said.
Toraya said the dog was unhurt. Still, the encounter shook her up.
“It was pretty scary,” she said. “I’m still recovering today.”
On Friday, Tybee officials sent out a Tweet advising residents worried about the coyote to keep their garbage closed and pet food indoors. The city posted a more thorough examination of the issue on its website, including an explanation of why it isn’t doing more to get rid of the coyote:
“A coyote trapper charges $500 per week with no guarantee of success, and the leg trap used could seriously hurt or kill a cat or other small animal, which is a risk that staff declined to take. If this coyote is trapped and removed, it is highly likely that another would move onto Tybee from Fort Pulaski, where there are several.”
Further advice followed, including an admonition not to approach, feed or otherwise try to domesticate the coyote.
“While Animal Control may yet successfully trap the coyote, the likelihood of success is small, and continuing encroachment of the species would be expected. Pro-actively police your yard and home to keep any temptations from attracting such pests, and you and your pets will be best served.”
Eddings, who has made three coyote sightings, said this animal was smaller than the other she’d seen and suspects there’s a small family of coyotes on the island. More education is needed about dealing with predatory wild animals, said Eddings, who’s from Alaska where she had to deal with similar issues,
“There are going to be more encounters,” she said. “It’s not going to hurt your dog but face-to-face it will defend itself.”
Savannah resident Jen Marino snapped a photo of the coyote Sunday night and posted it to Facebook Friday. As she followed him in her vehicle she heard several people shout “Hello Wile E.”
“He was trotting,” she said. “He seemed comfortable, right at home on the main strip.”
Police chief Bob Bryson said the coyote is loved by some on Tybee and reviled by others.
“On one side of the fence people are like ‘Don’t touch him,’ and on the other side they’re worried.
Coyotes are listed among the “unlucky 13,” the nongame species whose hunting or trapping isn’t regulated in Georgia. Wildlife officials discourage trappers from relocating coyotes because of the risk of diseases such as rabies and parvo.
“He’s got every right to be here,” Bryson said. “People are like he’s a vicious coyote. He’s tiny little thing.”
But Toraya, who said the coyote seemed fearless in staring down her and her dogs, isn’t so sure.
“They really need to kill the thing or catch the thing,” she said. “If he’s gonna go after dogs, I wonder about a small child.”