Residents in Miami Springs are sharing their concerns after a coyote was spotted lurking behind a home.
“They’re dangerous. They’re aggressive, that’s what scares me with the kids and the cats, the animals,” said Yolanda Sauer.
Authorities are warning people in Miami Springs to be alert as many remain on edge after a family spotted the coyote sneaking through several backyards near the 100 block of Shadow Drive.
Yolanda Sauer told 7News she saw several police officers near her home when she heard about the coyote.
“A whole bunch of police officers were at my house and I said, ‘What happened?’ And he goes, ‘There’s a very aggressive coyote in your backyard,’” she said.
Surveillance video captured the coyote sprinting through the family’s backyard around 10 a.m., Friday.
The chaos unfolded around the time Yolanda says she would normally take her teacup chihuahua outside.
“He jumped the fence into this neighbor’s house and he jumped from there, I guess, to the back,” said Yolanda.
Yolanda’s son, Charles, who lives next door, said the family’s dogs aren’t the only pets they’re concerned about.
“We have African sulcata tortoises. He just went up to it and just was like sniffing it,” said Charles. “I saw him through the palms and he was running around.”
In the surveillance footage, the coyote is seen approaching their pet tortoise, Bubble, staring it down as the pet stood its ground.
Moments later, the coyote turned around and left.
Another neighbor captured the coyote from a different angle, posting the footage to Facebook in an effort to alert others.
“I felt safe with our backyard here until right now,” said Yolanda.
In a neighborhood that’s often teeming with children playing on Friday afternoons, the Sauer family is concerned about their wellbeing until the coyote is captured.
“I don’t want to see it hurt but I don’t want to see a child hurt either,” said Yolanda.
The Miami Springs Police Department said that coyote is still on the loose.
Officials recommend if anybody encounters a coyote they should make loud noises in an effort to scare it off and to keep pets indoors as often as possible.