Coyote spotted in neighborhood near Uptown Charlotte

CHARLOTTE — A coyote has been spotted wandering around a neighborhood near Uptown Charlotte Thursday morning.

The incident occurred at home on Lola Avenue in Villa Heights.

Ring-camera video captured the coyote running past the front door towards the backyard of a house.

Coyote spotted in Villa Heights neighborhood

NC Wildlife says it doesn’t think there are more sightings than usual. It says coyotes are “very good at coexisting with humans and not causing issues.”

In fact, they provide “free pest control” in “urban” areas when it comes to “rat, mole, vole, and rabbit” populations. The biggest risk is to small pets and livestock.

Here’s how to avoid issues with coyotes (some may be obvious):

• Don’t feed or try to pet them
• Make sure trash cans are closed tightly
• Keep your pets on a leash or inside a fenced area
• If you put up a fence to keep coyotes out, make sure it’s at least six feet tall and doesn’t leave room for them to dig under
• Close off crawl spaces
• Clean up fruit that falls from trees. Coyotes may be carnivores, but they like fruit.

Some people ask about hunting coyotes, and you can find more information here.

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Charlotte coyote sightings prove popular on social media

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