MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) – Coyote encounters have been an ongoing problem in Mobile for several years. Jacob Blasius, who lives on Evelyn Drive near Mobile University’s Gate 1, said the problem has only gotten worse.
“The coyotes used my fence, and even though the blinds were open, the lighting was good, and they could see me, and they would roam freely through my fence without any fear,” Blasius recalled.
Blasius soon joined Coyote Watch, a Nextdoor app group with about 550 members. The social media group alerts members primarily through videos, photos and maps of more than 115 sightings in the Springhill Valley and Springhill area. And all the sightings were not at night.
They say most coyotes live in city-owned wooded areas. Currently, the city is only required to take action if residents submit video evidence of aggressive coyotes.
“We noticed that as they continued to reproduce, their numbers continued to increase. Wanting to take precautionary measures, we believe that our existing procedures are not sufficient. We want to prevent future attacks,” Blasius said before the Mobile City Council.
Appearing before the Mobile City Council on Tuesday, Blasius outlined the group’s proposal. The proposal asks the city of Mobile to revise its ordinance to require that they capture only aggressive coyotes.
“One by one, they must be caught and destroyed. You just can’t deal with an aggressive wolf, who may be an alpha male or an alpha female. The alpha male and alpha female prevent the rest of the herd from reproducing, which means that if you kill the alpha male and alpha female, the rest of the herd must be killed to prevent a population explosion. Blasius explained.
The group believes the longer the city waits to take action, the more it will cost.
“Obviously, the fact that we’ve already had attacks is not a real fear — with the number of coyotes in Mobile growing and spreading out into many neighborhoods, the potential for attacks on pets and people is going to increase significantly,” Blasius said.
The group says it’s optimistic the city of Mobile will work with them, but if they don’t follow through, they’re prepared to file a petition and make it an election issue.
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