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Humans, coyotes increasingly sharing the same neighborhood

Photo from Jo Gonzalez-Hastings

Jo Gonzalez-Hastings believes her cat, Buttercup, was killed by a coyote.

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By KEITH MORELLI | The Tampa Tribune
and STEPHEN THOMPSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 20, 2009

Coyotes, long known for prowling the woods and neighborhoods of northern Pinellas County, have now migrated to the county's more densely populated southern end, authorities say.

Sadly, one woman learned of the wily creature's presence the hard way. She believes one of her cats, named Buttercup, was killed by a coyote last month.

Other cat carcasses have turned up in her upscale neighborhood at the Pasadena Yacht and Country Club in Gulfport, said the woman, Jo Gonzalez-Hastings, a 50-year-old restaurant owner.

Coyotes, sometimes traveling in groups of two or three, are such a mainstay in back yards and on the golf course in the subdivision the canines appear unfazed when confronted by people, she said.

"Nobody knows they are this far south," she said. "I don't think they are really afraid of people anymore."

Gonzalez-Hastings let Buttercup out the morning of June 5, when she was leaving to go to the Habana Café in Gulfport, which she owns. Her husband found the cat's remains nearby on June 11. She believes her cat was attacked on a neighbor's porch, by virtue of all the blood left behind.

A neighbor found a different cat carcass. Coyote feces have also turned up near Gonzalez-Hastings' home, and a tiny cat flea collar was mixed in with the excrement.

She says a security guard had seen a coyote but no one alerted any residents.

"They didn't think it was important for residents to know there were coyotes?" she asked rhetorically. "If they had seen King Kong out there, what would it have been? This is just an ape?"

Greg Andrews, operations manager for Pinellas County Animals Services, said coyotes have been moving to new areas of the county.

"Coyotes have migrated all the way to the southern regions of Pinellas," he said. "They really have no boundaries now."

Just this morning, his agency received a coyote sighting at 5946 Bay Drive in Gulfport, he said.

Coyotes are not generally considered a danger to people, said Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman Gary Morse. He said the animals are present in all of Florida's 67 counties.

"They adapt well to urban developments," he said. "They tend to be especially troublesome in gated communities because usually, there are conservation areas in there and pets are allowed to roam free.

The best course of action, Morse said, is to realize nuisance wildlife is out there and to take precautions to make sure it doesn't cross your path or the path of you pet.

"It's a matter of understanding that if you live in Florida, unless you are in some high-rise, you can potentially be dealing with some nuisance wildlife.''

Andrews, of Pinellas County Animal Services, has a more specific suggestion: Don't let your cats outside.

"Some of the citizens are getting upset because they are killing their cats, but we shouldn't be letting out cats loose at night," Andrews said.

Reporter Peter Bernard contributed to this report. Reporter Stephen Thompson can be reached at (727) 451-2336. Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 865-1504.

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