Several dogs have recently been attacked around Thompson’s Point Road. Coyotes are thought to be the culprits.
ISLE OF PALMS, S.C. (WCSC) - Springtime is when coyotes are known to be the most active, and officials on the Isle of Palms say the island is experiencing an uptick in sightings and attacks.
The city has hired a trapping service in response to the uptick and six traps have been placed on the 34A beach access.
According to officials, the city is paying $1,650 per 14-day period for trapping and managing the traps. Isle of Palms Animal Control has also placed new signage at several beach access points where coyotes have been recently spotted.
“When you’re walking out to the beach and you come across a coyote, that can be really scary, and we understand that,” Sgt. Matt Storen said. “We’re working very hard to try and mitigate this but we want people to be aware of their surroundings when they’re walking out to the beach.”
The police department said so far this year, they’ve received 30 coyote sighting reports and five dog attack reports, none of which were fatal, but not everyone reports when their dog is attacked. Veterinary Emergency Group on Highway 17 just over the Isle of Palms Connector confirmed that in just the last month, they’ve treated five dogs for coyote attacks.
Lissa Myers lives on the island, and her golden retriever Ollie was attacked just days ago.
“What started on 34th and Cameron Blvd, ended on 34th and Hartnett Blvd with him being attacked by six coyotes,” Myers said. “There was a lot of yelping.”
She said Ollie was taken to the emergency vet right away and is doing well.
“My son said that some of the coyotes were smaller and two were larger, but it happened so quick and that was the scary part about it,” Myers said. “Obviously it was scary that it happened to our dogs but it was really traumatizing for my son.”
Island police said coyotes are smart, but they are afraid of humans, so if you come across one, you need to become the intimidator to scare it off.
“Don’t turn your back on the animal, make as much noise as possible,” Sgt. Matt Storen said. “Be aggressive towards the animal, most of the time the coyote will run away from the human.”
Myers said she is thankful for the efforts being taken to keep people and animals safe but wants to see more aggressive trapping and she plans to be a voice in making that happen.
“I just really want them to do the research and put in their best efforts to aggressively come at this instead of slowly because our kids and our dogs are worth it,” Myers said. “Right now, I feel like not enough has been done.”
On Wednesday the city’s only animal control officer worked his last day on the job to move to another state, but the city said they are in the process of hiring a new animal control officer.
If you see a coyote, you’re asked to call the Isle of Palms police administration line at 843-886-6522. To report an attack on an animal or human, call 911 immediately.