OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — There's a growing concern for people living near Lake Zorinsky and farther west with recent coyote sightings.
Some hikers tell 3 News Now they're becoming more visible and are moving closer to homes.
Just a few days ago, Ami Sheffield, who walks regularly on the lake's trails with her three dogs spotted a coyote on the trail while hiking with her three dogs.
"The coyote started yipping back and started making a lot of noise. I kind of rushed the coyote a little bit. Like move on move on, and he didn't really get worried that I was doing that," said Sheffield.
Sheffield snapped cell phone video of her dogs reacting to the coyote's howls and shared it on the NextDoor app, where several other users posted also seeing coyotes nearby in recent days.
"I read on the app that some of the coyotes are coming into the neighborhoods. and getting into peoples yards where there are dogs," said Sheffield.
She fears coyotes will harm her small dogs.
"I understand that we are encroaching on their space. I get that. However, when they are not afraid of people and are potentially taking off with dogs and cats...that's a problem," she added.
Laura Stastny with the Nebraska Wildlife Rescue says hikers shouldn't be worried.
"Coyotes are naturally curious. So if they stand there for a while and look at you or look at what you're doing, it's honestly because they want to know what's going on in their environment and generally they are not a threat to people," said Stastny.
She added the best thing to do if you encounter a coyote is walk away.
"Most of the time, all wild animals, including coyotes are much more afraid of us than we are of them. So just giving them space and walking away is the best thing to do for any wild animal."
The Rescue says it's not typical for a coyote to ever attack a human, but coyotes are predators and advise people to be vigilant if they have small pets and to not leave any cat or dog food outside of their homes.
