WESTON, Fla. – They don't call it wild Florida for nothing.
A woman walking near the post office on North Corporate Lakes Boulevard spotted what she thought was a dog on the loose. It turned out it wasn’t a dog, but a coyote.
She captured the animal on cellphone video as it gracefully dashed through shrubbery.
Local 10 News showed the video to passersby in the neighborhood. Some were surprised while others said that seeing wildlife roaming among them is nothing new.
One person said: “It’s big . . . very big.” A woman Local 10 showed the video to said, “That’s unbelievable.” A group at a nearby shopping center told Local 10 that they have heard there are coyotes loose in the area. One man said he’s never seen one, but another commented that people who live in the community are used to living among wildlife.
“We’ve seen crocodiles, coyotes, we’ve seen a lot of things here,” he said.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials said coyote sightings aren’t rare. The coyotes are adaptable to different landscapes. In fact, there have been plenty of other spottings: A coyote hanging out in a front yard in El Portal back in July and another only feet away from golfers recently at a course in Clearwater.
Commission officials said the animals are not a threat to people, however, they can be curious. They do prey on small animals, so they advise small pets should be kept indoors.