Three coyotes caught in Winter Park, College Park areas

Three wild coyotes were caught and euthanized in the Winter Park area in three days last week, in the same area where several pets have been attacked and killed by the wild canines.

Orlando trappers Trapline Wildlife Services captured the three coyotes within the Winter Park/College Park area early last week while checking their traps. The traps were set up in response to the several small pets that have been killed by coyotes in recent weeks.

Wayne Salicrup of Trapline Wildlife Services told WESH 2 News that six more traps have been placed throughout the area.

“Residents have had pets eaten – cats, small dogs,” Salicrup said. “They contact us and we set traps for them…this is not the end of it for sure.”

Salicrup couldn’t say which neighborhoods the coyotes were captured in due to a client privacy agreement, but there had been reports of coyotes being seen as near to downtown Winter Park as Palmer Avenue.

City Commissioner Steven Leary reported seeing coyotes himself multiple times near the intersection of Lakemont Avenue and Howell Branch Road, as well as one of the city’s golf courses.

College Park resident Harriet Duncan told the Orlando Sentinel that a coyote on Stetson Street killed her cat, Marrakesh, back in July.

The captured coyotes each had to be euthanized under state law.

“It’s just controlling the population,” Salicrup told WESH 2 News. “We’re not trying to eradicate them or anything. We’re just trying to control them in the areas where they’re causing trouble.”

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission took some action of their own last month after receiving multiple calls about coyote sightings, posting a warning to keep on the lookout for the wild animals.

Greg Workman of Florida Fish and Wildlife said multiple food sources and increased development in Central Florida would likely explain the recent coyote sightings, but they don’t know for sure.

“They’ve been around for years,” he said. “It’s just that certain areas are getting a lot more now, whether they’re being forced out of the areas where they were or the numbers may be increasing. We don’t know what factors are making them come out more.”

Workman said that Florida Fish and Wildlife will continue to monitor the area and will take action if the situation becomes dangerous.

Winter Park recently posted a guide to living with urban coyotes on their city website, including Information on how to keep pets safe. The city hopes to have Florida Fish and Wildlife host an informational meeting in Winter Park soon.