Coyotes plentiful in NC, but encounters with people are rare

Three coyotes tracked a man walking his dog in Schenck Forest in west Raleigh last week and later tracked police escorting the man from the area after he called 911 for help, police said.
Posted 7/7/2015, 10:17:00 PM Updated 9/23/2025, 7:50:51 PM

WEEKEND FOLLOWING TALLADEGA

LATER THIS YEAR.

>>> TERRIFYING MOMENTS FOR A

MAN ENRD AND HIS DOG AFTER THE

TWO WERE STOPPED ON A TRAIL BY

A SMALL GROUP OF COYOTES IN

RALEIGH.

LAURA LESLIE HAS MORE ON WHAT

YOU SHOULD DO IF YOU FIND

YOURSELF IN A SIMILAR

SITUATION.

SHE JOINS US LIVE FROM WHERE

THIS ALL UNFOLDED.

LAURA?

>> Reporter: YES, DEBRA.

WE ARE HERE AT THIS POPULAR

SPOT FOR HIKING, PICNICKING

AND WILDLIFE VIEWING BUT A

RALEIGH MAN GOT A CLOSER LOOK

THAN WHAT HE WAS BARGAINING

FOR LAST WEEK.

HE AND HIS DOGS WERE CORNERED

ON A HIKING TRAIL.

>> Reporter: IT WAS 6:30

WEDNESDAY EVENING WHEN 24-YEAR-

OLD STEVEN KEATING CALLED 9-1-

1. HE WAS WALKING HIS BOXY

PUPPY IN SHAKE FOREST ALONG

RICHLAND'S TRAIL WHEN THREE

COYOTES APPROACHED HIM AND

STARTING CHASING HIM.

HE TOOK REFUGE ON TOP OF AN

ELEVATED GRADE ABOUT THREE FEET

OFF THE GROUND BUT THE BIGGEST

COYOTE ABOUT THE SIZE OF A

GERMAN SHEPHERD WOULD NOT LEAVE

THE AREA.

POLICE FOUND HIM AND ESCORTED

HIM AND THE DOG OUT SAFELY.

THE LIEUTENANT WITH THE STATE

WILDLIFE RESOURCE COMMISSION

SAYS ENCOUNTERS LIKE KEATING'S

ARE EXTREMELY RARE BUT IT IS

POSSIBLE THEY HAVE A DEN

NEARBY.

>> THEY HAVE PUPS THIS TIME OF

YEAR.

THIS HE ARE TRYING TO FEED

THEIR PUPS AND TAKE CARE OF

THEM AT THIS POINT.

>> Reporter: THERE HAS NEVER

BEEN AN UNPROVOKED COYOTE

ATTACK ON A NEW MEXICO NORTH

CAROLINA, EVEN THOUGH THE

CRAFTY CANINES ARE IN EVERY ONE

OF OUR 100 COUNTIES, URBAN AND

RURAL.

GENERALLY COYOTES NEVER WANT

ANYTHING TO DO WITH PEOPLE,

BUT IF YOU ARE EVER APPROACHED

BY ONE, DON'T TURN YOUR BACK

ON IT.

>> STAND YOUR GROUND, MAKE

LOUD NOISES, ANYTHING YOU CAN

DO TO TURN THE ANIMAL AWAY.

>> Reporter: WHATEVER YOU DO,

DO NOT RUN AWAY FROM A COYOTE.

>> THEY ARE PREDATORS AND THAT

IS WHAT THE PREY DO, RUN FROM

THEM.

>> Reporter: WE TRIED TO SPEAK

WITH MR. KEATING BUT HE DIDN'T

RETURN OUR CALLS.

IF YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW TO

INTERACT SAFELY WITH COYOTE AND

OTHER FORMS OF WILDLIFE, THE

WILDLIFE RESOURCE COMMISSION

HAS PLENTY OF INFORMATION.

>> EASIER SAID THAN DONE NOT

RUN AWAY.

© WRAL