A home surveillance camera caught a coyote chewing up a San Jose resident's irrigation system early Monday morning, marking at least the third coyote sighting in a San Jose residential neighborhood in one week's time.
Bryan Thayer, a resident in San Jose's Blossom Valley neighborhood, said a coyote, possibly the same one, has been visiting his neighborhood for the past month. At around 3:35 a.m. Monday, a coyote could be seen tugging on Thayer's drip irrigation system in the front yard of his home located along Hedlund Court.
Last Friday morning, a resident in San Jose's Willow Glen neighborhood spotted a coyote strolling on a sidewalk in the area of Foxworthy Avenue and Briarwood Drive.
Cindy Wilson, who has lived in the area for 20 years, snapped a photo. She said it was the first time that she's seen a coyote.
Another local resident, Patrick Campbell, said he saw what he believes was the same coyote on Jan. 7 as he was walking his dogs.
Wilson said she called animal control and was told that it is not uncommon for coyotes to be seen during the day, even in a residential neighborhood, if they didn't find enough food the night before.
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Animal control also told Wilson that they do not attempt to relocate coyotes unless they are acting strangely.
Wildlife experts said that bringing in pet food and keeping small pets inside can make a yard less attractive to a coyote.