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Coyotes Blamed For Missing Cats, Calf In Keystone Area

Tribune photo by CANDACE C. MUNDY

Mark Adams, a foreman at L & D Farms, says his cat Selena received a large bite wound - possibly from a coyote.

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By STEPHEN HAMMILL

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 24, 2008

KEYSTONE - About three months ago, neighbors living off Tarpon Springs Road began mysteriously losing animals.

The toll so far: five cats, a missing baby calf and dozens of worried residents.

The cause seems to be clear.

Coyotes are on the hunt.

"It was a shock to me that there would be coyotes around here," said Judy Travis, resident at 19002 Blake Road.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, coyotes are common in every county in the state, and as development pushes them away, they settle in rural areas.

Officials at the wildlife commission say a pair of coyotes is responsible for attacks this month on small dogs on leashes in Estero, near Fort Myers.

In May, Travis called law enforcement to voice her concern after her neighbors lost two cats, and she said she saw coyotes prowling their property. Florida Fish and Wildlife Officer Paul Van Ost investigated the sightings and confirmed coyotes are in the area.

"Honestly, it was hard to believe at first," said Mark Adams, foreman at L&D Farms at 18737 Crescent Road. "Then my wife started seeing them in pairs, cruising across Tarpon Springs Road during the day."

The coyotes claimed one of Adams' cats.

"My cat had never left, and one day she was gone," he said. "They're so used to dogs; I think they just let them walk right up and snatch them."

After his visit to Keystone, Van Ost told Adams there wasn't much his agency could do. He recommended residents lock up their animals at night and not leave food out.

Adams carries a rifle on his early morning rounds. According to the wildlife commission, coyotes, like most predators, are most active late at night or early in the morning.

"They told us not to shoot them at night, but otherwise, they encouraged us to hunt them down," he said.

"They have nowhere else to go and no food chain," Adams said. "There aren't many rural areas like this left around here."

They're getting brazen, too, often walking in front of residents in daylight.

"They make themselves at home," Adams said. "They don't seem to mind people."

Adams said there have been fewer sightings recently, "but now we're finding smaller prints with larger sets of prints."

Coyotes can have litters of up to 10 pups each year.

"For many years, people have dumped cats out here," Travis said. "I worry for them."

Travis owns three house cats and cares for another four living mainly outside. She now takes them in at night. She said the coyotes have pushed beyond the tag of "nuisance."

"I love wildlife, but I can't stand those helpless animals being killed like this," she said.

The wildlife commission said attacks on pets or humans by wildlife should be reported to the Wildlife Alert Hotline at 1-888-404-3922.

Sightings can be reported by visiting www.MyFWC.com or by calling (863) 648-3200.

Reporter Stephen Hammill can be reached at (813) 865-1523 or shammill@tampatrib.com.

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