TAMARAC, Fla. – Rincci Montesino said she saw a coyote charge at her 4-year-old grandson while he was playing outside. She was alert, so she was able to avert a tragedy. She wants parents to beware of predators in Broward County.
Montesino said little Hunter was on her back patio Tuesday in Tamarac. He was having fun on the grass with a cool slip and slide.
“He is facing me and he is just splashing around,” Montesino said. “I’m just sitting here because I always sit in the shade. Out of nowhere, this starts just coming from there somewhere, I don’t know if it came from behind the trees, but it just started charging at full speed.”
Montesino acted quickly. She jumped out of her chair and snapped her grandson up. She also yelled at the coyote.
“I didn’t want to turn around and back off because they say don’t do that. You know you can’t show them that kind of fear,” Montesino said, adding the experience was terrifying.
Montesino said Hunter will no longer be allowed to go out and play in her backyard. She said she is too afraid to go around the nearby trees to see if the coyotes burrow down there.
“The coyotes have no predators. There’s nothing to stop them from breeding and multiplying and they’re just doing what their instincts call them to do,” Montesino said, adding she doesn’t know what the solution to her problem is.
Here is a list of safety tips to coexist with coyotes:
- Hazing: Frighten coyotes with loud noises.
- Never run away from a coyote or turn your back because it will turn you from aggressor to prey.
- Do not feed coyotes. Keep garbage in a tightly sealed container.
- Use yard lights or motion detectors to scare coyotes away.
Source: The Humane Society and Florida Fish and WildlifeConservation Commission