Coyotes Prowl Los Angeles Neighborhood

Residents of a Los Angeles neighborhood about 1 1/2 miles south of Runyon Canyon Park have reported 30 coyote sightings in recent weeks.

The residents say the recent sightings are the area’s first and the animals are thought to have been driven from Runyon Canyon Park or nearby Wilshire Country Club by the unusually dry weather, The Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.

The sightings in the neighborhood have raised concerns among residents, who have taken to keeping children and pets indoors.

We see them on street corners and in our driveways, resident Jeanne Litvin told the newspaper. On Friday, a man at Alta Vista (Boulevard) and 1st Street had to sit in his car and wait for them to leave before he could get out.

We get calls from all over about cats and small dogs disappearing, said Capt. Wendell Bowers, city Animal Services’ wildlife program coordinator. They used to be nocturnal. Now they’re out all the time.

Bowers said no coyote attacks on humans have been reported for three years in the city, the Times reported.