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Coyotes invade metro suburb
In the heart of a Plymouth neighborhood, the Johnson's backyard attracts the birds, the bunnies and Thursday afternoon around lunchtime. "I grabbed the camera and took a picture of it," said Stephanie Johnson. A coyote stopped by their backyard. "Oops there it is," said Johnson thumbing through the photos on her camera. Stephanie Johnson captured Minnesota's most plentiful large predator from just inside her home. She spotted it prancing along the tree line while the temperature hovered around zero. "Kind of scary now, it's still cool." The picture shows the coyote near their compost pile. She took the picture, it slipped around the corner and as gracefully as could be, jumped the neighbor's fence. "Either a fox or a coyote, we have wetland in the backyard and it wonders through the backyard," said Dawn Swanson who lives down the street. Plymouth police say the neighborhoods are prime habitat, full of wetlands, wildlife and plenty of forested cover. This latest sighting is the only one we know of that neighbors have caught on camera, but it's likely not the only one around. "I get a lot of calls to lead me to believe it's more than just one coyote that's for sure," said Officer Jim Long who gets several calls a month about coyote sightings. "My husband's friends at work were laughing they're like where's the dog chain around his neck, I was like c'mon give me some respect," said Johnson. The proof is in the picture, and along with the bird's and bunnies, the Johnson's backyard periodically entertains a coyote. This is the mating season for coyotes. It starts in January and lasts through February. In general, they're afraid of people, but Plymouth residents are advised to take extra precautions. Police ask that residents keep pet food inside, securing their garbage, and only keep bird seed in feeders or containers, not outside in a bag.
(Copyright 2008 by KARE. All Rights Reserved.)
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