This beautiful young coyote was just laying in the grass, catching some shade. People were walking and driving by but he didn't seem to mind. He must have come down from the nearby mountains to check out our neighborhood. Perhaps he was hunting - house hunting!
There are lots of Coyotes here in Arizona. They are beautiful creatures, often mistaken for dogs since they look a lot like a dog at first glance. But they are definitely not dogs, they are wild animals.
We hope neighbors were not feeding this little guy - feeding wildlife is always a bad thing. Feeding wild animals causes them to think of humans as a food source, which usually ends up with the wild animal inadvertently injuring someone, destroying property, killing someone's pet, or getting hit by a car.
Coyotes in Phoenix are known to hunt cats and small dogs when their food source is low or when they get a little too comfortable in residential areas. There's a saying around here that goes like this: "There are no skinny Coyotes in Phoenix!" Sadly, there's a lot of truth to that. Smart pet owners are keep their cats and small dogs safe from coyotes, especially after dark! Coyotes are fast, and they are skilled hunters.
I'm glad we weren't walking Isis and Phoebe at the time, I know Isis would have gone berserk at the sight of this fascinating creature! Hmmm.... I guess I kind of ignored the wordless aspect of this week's Wordless Wednesday didn't I ?!
What wild animals have you encountered in your neighborhood? Leave a comment, I'd love to hear your Wildlife in the 'Hood story!
12 comments:
We have coyotes here too and we live across from the beach. Our friends small pup was taken by a coyote in Az recently. She went to get the mail, her pup followed her as it did for 8 years. A coyote snuck out from behind a bush. Needless to say she is very very devastated. Such a pretty pup. It almost looks like a wolf
Lily & Edward
I know coyotes can be dangerous but they are truly gorgeous creatures. How brazen is this one---he's not even trying to disguise himself!
Wow!!! I have never seen a coyote quite that close up!!!
They are beautiful animals!
People do need to know how to protect their animals from them though, your right! Thanks for sharing!
ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
Oh how awful! I'm so sorry to hear about your friend's pup. Coyote's are smart, they must have learned her routine and stalked her poor baby. Keep your precious Lily & Edward safe - they are small enough to tempt a coyote. Thanks for visiting my blog!
They are definitely gorgeous, but like any wild animal they can be unpredictable. I was so glad my little Phoebe wasn't with us, who knows if this mellow looking coyote might have turned on her. Thanks for stopping by Kimberly!
Every now & then we see one up close out here. They are beautiful but you have to keep your distance. This one was really odd, just sitting there in the grass as people walked, biked or drove right by. Very unusual. We never approach or try to feed wildlife, you just never know what they might do. Thanks for stopping by Jenna!
We can hear coyotes in the woods behind our home but none have come into the neighborhood...yet! We have had a red fox, lots of armadillos, possums, and huge owls.
You probably haven't seen any Coyotes because your 'hood is already crowded with so many other wild animals - Ha Ha! It's wonderful that you share your space with so much wildlife - I love that! Especially red foxes and owls, two of my favorite animals! Thanks for visiting my blog, M. K.!
What a beautiful little guy! :) I saw my first wild coyote in the Grand Canyon after Blog Paws, it was truly amazing. Sadly Miami, FL has a lot of invasive species so I've seen a good many of them. Huge iguanas, guinea fowl, even saw a python once! It's terrible. :(
I love the wildlife out here, but not the Diamondback snakes! Up near Sedona and the Grand Canyon you see gorgeous wolves as well. Stunning. Florida's gators and python's creep me out! Python is an invasive species that's encroaching upon other wildlife out there. Ugh.
Guessing you live on the outskirts of Phoenix? Don't remember seeing any in the city when I lived there. Have lots here in rural county area of GA.
Actually, no we live right in Phoenix proper, Paradise Valley area. We're close to the mountains where there are coyotes but they don't usually come down into the neighborhood. Weird but fun to see! Thanks for stopping by Jan!
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