ATLANTIC BEACH, Fla. – A coyote believed to be behind several recent attacks on residents and pets in Atlantic Beach was found dead in a junkyard Thursday after it was shot by police on Wednesday night, officials said.
Atlantic Beach Mayor Curtis Ford said during a news conference that he hopes the coyote’s death brings closure to the series of attacks that were reported this week.
“I hope everybody will agree this one needed to go,” Curtis said. “I said it before, this coyote was either diseased or it had very, very bad manners,” Ford said.
Ford also confirmed the coyote behind the attacks was a female.
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An officer fired a shot at the coyote Wednesday night near Jasmine and 6th streets. It was unclear at the time if the animal had been hit because it ran off.
“The officer did feel like he had a safe lane to shoot, so he fired one round at the coyote,” Atlantic Beach Police Chief Victor Gualillo said.
He said they looked for the animal last night but didn’t find it.
Officers returned Thursday morning to check for a blood trail and found it, following it to Raymond’s Auto Salvage & Junk, a junkyard on Begonia Street, where most of the attacks were reported. The coyote’s body was found under a car.
Officials said while everything indicates that there was only one coyote behind the attacks, they said they can’t be 100 percent sure, and only time will tell. For that reason, residents were still urged to be cautious.
“We hope that that was the only issue, and we certainly won’t know for sure until we go some period of time with no further incidents,” Ford said.
Gualillo described the coyote’s behavior as “unusual.”
“I think FWC will agree that it’s rare that we get one animal that has that many attacks in such a short period of time,” Gualillo said, adding that the animal wasn’t afraid of people. “That’s unusual behavior for a coyote.”
Gualillo explained that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will do a necropsy to check the coyote for rabies or other diseases and will communicate any necessary updates to the people who were bitten.
He asked residents to keep reporting any sightings and any interactions that aren’t normal to wildlife@coab.us. He said the department tracks the sightings and will come out to investigate if there are more frequent sightings in an area or more interactions that are inappropriate.
“Please let us know if you see unusual activity by coyotes. It’s our neighborhood, and we want to make sure we know what’s going on,” Gualillo said. “Just keep us in the loop, and we’ll come out and help you.”
Coyote victim relieved
Raymond Dagley, owner of the junkyard where the coyote was found, was attacked at the business on Tuesday.
“He sniffed down my leg and grabbed my pant leg and started jerking it back and forth,” Dagley said.
Then he said it bit his leg.
“I’m saying this thing is going to hurt me, then I yelled ‘Get away, get out of here!’ and then he let go for a second and I jumped up and grabbed my chair that I was sitting in and threw it on him,” Dagley said. “I grabbed it by the handle and hit him right on the head,” Dagley said.
Sherrie Dagley, Raymond’s wife, also described what happened to him.
She said the coyote backed off but then grabbed Raymond’s foot. Raymond hit the coyote on the head with a Coke can, and then the animal latched onto his ankle.
“He managed to stand up, and he picked up the great big chair he was sitting in and hit him on the head with it,” Sherrie said.
Raymond Dagley said he is relieved not to have the animal prowling about anymore, although he was sad that it had to be killed.
Multiple attacks reported
Raymond Dagley’s was one of four attacks reported in the area, including one witnessed Wednesday night by a News4JAX crew.
Because of the attacks, the city of Atlantic Beach urged everyone to be cautious in the area of Begonia, Jasmine and 6th streets.
Begonia Street is surrounded by trees and is not too far from Dutton Island Preserve. It backs up to the Intracoastal Waterway, not far from Atlantic Boulevard.
Before the coyote was found dead, the city had set up traps and said it was investigating the multiple reports.
“We do actually have a coyote management plan in Atlantic Beach, so we have protocols that we observe when something like this happens, and we’re asking our citizens to use good common sense, but also follow the plan,” Ford said Wednesday. “We’re not suggesting that the coyote has rabies, but the fact that it’s aggressive, we’re very concerned about that.”
Gualillo said people can use whatever measures are necessary to protect themselves, their property, and their family against a coyote, but he also said to be careful.
“Remember that if you do fire a weapon and that bullet exits your property and goes across to someone else’s property, that could be a great liability to you,” he said. “So you need to make sure you’re doing it safely, and it’s really necessary that you decide to use that kind of force. Generally, these animals are going to run away as soon as they see or hear something that’s scary to them.”
If you spot a coyote approaching people closely or acting in an aggressive manner, you’re urged to call the FWC‘s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-8922.
Another junkyard attack
Thomas Cathey told News4JAX on Wednesday that he’s still recovering from his shocking attack on Tuesday.
He said a coyote attacked him near Donald Dagley’s Workshop, a junkyard across from Raymond’s Salvage, where he works. A fellow worker was able to take a photograph of the coyote.
MORE | Multiple reports of coyote attacking people in Atlantic Beach; residents asked to keep pets inside
“Yeah, got me a couple places here...still trickling blood a little here,” he said. “Had a death grip on my arm here, took a while to get him off. Fortunately, not that bad, and they took care of me at the emergency room.”
Cathey said he was bitten multiple times.
“It’s abnormal,” Cathey said. “We’ve been around here for years, and it doesn’t happen. I don’t know if the animal’s sick or something... He’s in a state of shock or something. He’s not acting normal.”
According to the city, after Cathey was attacked Tuesday, a coyote approached another person Wednesday morning, before a dog fended off the attack. The city said the dog was injured during the incident.
There was also another report of a second person being bitten Wednesday morning. That was not confirmed, but the city said it considers the report to be credible.
News4JAX witnesses attack
Atlantic Beach resident Ashton Kennedy was walking his German Shepherd when our crew first spotted a coyote Wednesday night. It was captured on camera, along with Kennedy running from the animal.
Kennedy said the coyote jumped out of a wooded area near Jasmine and 6th streets. He said when the coyote first jumped out, he thought it was a fox.
But Kennedy said that moments later, his dog started fighting with the coyote, and it even followed them back to his house.
“Kind of crazy,” Kennedy said. “Kind of unimaginable. I was holding the coyote by his neck, and when I let go, he went right to my leg. My dog was holding it back by his leg, and I told the dog to go home. And then the coyote started following us back to the house.”
Kennedy was bitten on his leg. Our crew was able to call 911 for help.
The Atlantic Beach Police Department and Jacksonville Fire Rescue quickly responded to the incident.
Medics said Kennedy would need a rabies shot.
A neighbor’s ring camera (watch below) captured the coyote walking out from behind a car, and a few moments later, an officer fires a shot at the animal, which was found dead the next day.
WATCH: Ring camera captures coyote, officer firing shot (WARNING: Video includes mild expletives)
What you need to know
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Atlantic Beach Police shared this information for residents about coyote interactions:
What Residents Should Do:
- Immediately report all coyote sightings and incidents to 911. Provide as much detail as possible about the location, time, and what you observed. This is especially important given the recent attacks.
- Be extra vigilant and pay close attention to your surroundings, particularly during dawn and dusk.
- Keep pets inside.
- Secure all potential food sources.
- Don’t leave pet food or water outside.
- Make sure garbage cans are tightly sealed.
- Pick up any fallen fruit from trees in your yard.
- Never feed wildlife.
- Haze any coyotes you encounter to make them feel unwelcome.
- Make loud noises like shouting, clapping, or banging pots.
- Try to look bigger by waving your arms above your head.
- Throw small objects in the coyote’s direction.
- Use noisemakers such as whistles or air horns.
- Closely supervise children.
- Check your property for potential coyote hiding spots, such as under porches or sheds, and consider trimming low-lying vegetation.
What Residents Should NOT Do:
- Do not approach or feed coyotes. This can make them lose their fear of people and become bolder.
- Do not run from a coyote. Running might trigger its chase instinct. Instead, stand your ground and try to haze it.
- Do not leave small children or pets unattended outdoors.
- Do not assume coyotes are harmless. Even if they seem curious or playful, they are still wild animals and can be unpredictable.
- Do not try to capture or handle a coyote yourself. Leave this to trained animal control professionals.
According to FWC, coyotes are medium-sized mammals in the same family as dogs, wolves and foxes. Their fur is generally salt-and-pepper gray, with tan or brown patches. They have a thick, bushy tail, long, pointy nose and pointy ears. Adults in Florida weigh between 20 and 35 pounds on average, and males are generally larger and heavier than females.
Coyotes are found in several habitat types and are common in rural, suburban, and even some urban landscapes. According to a 2007 FWC report, the presence of coyotes has been documented in all 67 Florida counties.
FWC said encounters between people and coyotes in Florida are occurring more often. As coyotes become used to people, they may lose some fear of people, so sightings of coyotes during the day may increase.
FWC said unprovoked coyote attacks on humans are very rare.
According to FWC, coyotes may be taken as a furbearer year-round on private property with landowner permission by rifle, shotgun, pistol, muzzleloader, air gun, crossbow, or bow.
