Local coyote population skyrocketing

Animal experts say the population of coyotes is growing faster than they can keep up with. The latest example comes from Midtown Atlanta, where one resident spotted and photographed a coyote.

Greg Tanner said that he saw the coyote a few days ago behind a city block in Orme Park in Midtown Atlanta.

"I had remembered a story from my very next door neighbor a couple of years back where their daughter witnessed their cat being killed early in the moing by a coyote," said Tanner.

His neighbor saw the animal days earlier when she was walking a dog.

"He hit that back chain link and was just raising Cain and his owner thought he had seen a coyote a couple weeks before that," said Jerry Tanner.

Animal trapper Chip Elliott says the coyote population has skyrocketed in recent years

"Whenever they do drop down, they rebound really quick.  Sixty to 80 percent of the adult female coyotes are going to have pups every year," said Elliot.

Elliot was don't be fooled by the animal's appearance; coyotes are natural predators and small pets have become prey, so he advises to be careful especially if your pets spend a lot of time outside.

Because of those population issues, trappers say state law requires that they euthanize any coyotes that they catch.