TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. () – Coyote sightings are increasing on Tybee Island since first reported in early June.
“I was stunned to come across this remarkable wild creature,” explained Stu Putman, who shared with us a video taken on June 2 showing a coyote wandering around his North End neighborhood during the night.
The animal is being seen mostly on the north side of the island.
“Just a few days back, while returning home, I drove into my North End neighborhood and spotted it,” Putman recounted. “Initially, I mistook it for a deer because of its elongated nose and ears positioned atop its head, resembling a deer’s features. But as the video reveals, it’s clearly a coyote.”
As chatter is increasing about the recent sightings Putman alerted his neighbors.
“I belong to a homeowner’s association in the North End, and I distributed an email with the video attached,” he mentioned. “The majority of the responses were from concerned neighbors.”
Although city officials told the animal is not a threat, though people and pets should still keep a distance, the chatter is hinted with unease.
“I would say on average Tybee is a little worried about having coyotes on the island,” said Putman.
In 2023 when coyotes were inhabiting the island in packs, the city’s hired trapper eventually took them to a DNR approved wildlife preserve after the city faced backlash for trapping and euthanizing them to prevent rabies transmission.
The relocation was considered a “last resort.”
Tybee Island Mayor Brian West told Friday that the city currently does not have a plan for coyotes considering the recent sightings.
