BOCA RATON, Fla. – A wildfire trapper with Bandit Wildlife Management set up several cages Wednesday in a west Boca Raton neighborhood to catch coyotes that have been prowling the area, but the traps were tampered with overnight.
"Somebody tampered with the trap last night and shut the door so nothing could get into it," Paul Zambrano told Local 10 News. "It's very frustrating because it takes away from the potential of trapping the target animal."
Residents in the area have reported several attacks and encounters with the animals in the past week.
One dog was killed over the weekend and a second was snatched in broad daylight from its leash while walking with its owner Tuesday.
"The coyote came from that direction, circled us once and grabbed her by the neck," Jill Putney said.
The traps seem like the last hope for catching the coyotes.
"There's chicken in there, a little bit of wet cat food to lure them into the trap," Zambrano said. "I actually sprayed a little bit of coyote urine on the trap because that also attracts the coyotes. (They) tend to be a little territorial so that often works."
Warning signs are now up in the community where reality is now settling in that catching the elusive wild animal is no guarantee.
"Trapping animals is sort of like fishing," Zambrano said. "You never know what you're going to get. If they are still in the area, they'll come across."
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