TOWN OF TONAWANDA, N.Y. — The Town of Tonawanda is issuing warnings of coyotes roaming the area. There's an uptick in the sightings.
In a video sent to 2 On Your Side, it shows the moment a woman named Beth in Snyder came across a coyote in her backyard. Further North, Meredith Henry saw a coyote also. Except this one was in the front yards of several homes.
RELATED ARTICLE: Erie County SPCA rescues coyote
The Town of Tonawanda issued a warning on Facebook to be on the lookout for coyotes roaming the area. Town Supervisor Joe Emminger said the sightings started last week.
"Coyotes can roam 20 miles from their home base. They left, we believe, because of the weather that's going on. Not so much in the Town of Tonawanda but in southern Erie Country, central Erie County," Emminger said.
The snow hides prey, like small rodents and rabbits away from coyotes. However, remember coyotes are usually more afraid of you than you are of them. Another piece of advice is to leave small dogs and cats inside.
The chief communications officer of the SPCA Serving Erie County, Gina Lattuca, said residents have told her coyotes have attacked their pets before.
"It does happen, unfortunately, especially if you have animals unsupervised outside," she said.
The wildlife kill contest went into effect late last year. It's illegal to kill animals like coyotes, foxes, bobcats, squirrels, raccoons, crows, and other species for money or prizes. You can't shoot a coyote if it crosses your path.
"Different things work with different wild animals. If it were a bear, we would be having a different conversation. The thing with coyotes is they do have the ability to walk and run on top of snow, so they can cover a great deal of snow, especially when they're hungry," Lattuca says.
Emminger is hopeful the warm weather will cause the coyotes to find their way back home. Emminger says he will re-evaluate the situation early next week.
However, if you come across a coyote, the SPCA and the town supervisor advise you to make loud noises by yelling, screaming, rattling coins in a can, or throwing objects at the animal for a distraction.