Coyote in west Austin found with trap on its leg, who's setting them?
AUSTIN (KXAN) — As more people move to Austin and development continues, interactions between people and coyotes have become more common.
When Tom and Kim Hibler moved into their home in the hills of west Austin, they knew that could be a possibility.
"It is kind of fun watching the animals cruise through," Tom said.
With coyote sightings, they fenced in their yard and made sure their pets were locked up at night.
"We would normally see it wandering around there at the bottom of the canyon," Kim said about a juvenile coyote that many neighbors had noticed in the neighborhood.
The coyote could be seen limping, and the Hibler's said they spotted something on its front leg. On closer inspection, they noticed a trap.
"That is kind of what bothered me more than anything," Tom said. "You know I am not a big fan of the coyotes being around, but that is why we fenced in our yard."
After seeing the coyote multiple times, they called TRAPRS, a nonprofit pet rescue service that usually deals with missing dogs and cats.
After hours of tracking and setting up a cage to lure the coyote, they were able to trap the female coyote and remove the trap from her leg.
"Unfortunately, her leg was not able to be saved," said Amy Lewis with TRAPRS.
This isn't the first time she has seen traps like this, and while people who set the traps may be trying to get wildlife, they can also catch and harm pets.
A recent call came in to TRAPRS about a stray dog.
"She had been seen sleeping on someone's porch just two nights before we got the call, and we ended up getting a call telling us she was stuck on a snare and was killed," Lewis said.
That's one concern some neighbors have about the trap found on the coyote.
"It could be a cat, it could be a small child, it could be anything," Kim said.
Coyotes can kill or injure small pets, that's why you should keep your pets inside fences or inside your home, especially during the night.
"We moved into an area that is wild," Tom said. "The animals are here. If you don't like animals, buy a condo downtown and you don't have to worry about it."
The coyote was released in a wildlife preserve where those human interactions won't be happening.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department tells KXAN there are no statewide restrictions for trapping on private property. You would have to get consent from the landowner or controlling entity of private or public land in order to take any animal. There are no special permits required at the state level to set traps for coyotes.