A West Kelowna man is concerned about coyotes near his home after he and his Yorkshire terrier Sophie were chased by one.
It was early Tuesday morning, when Amanuel Ghebremicael took Sophie to use the bathroom near his condo in Terra Vista.
Close to an apple cidery, Sophie started growling at what Ghebremicael assumed was a deer in a nearby field.
“As soon as I backed up a little it came close enough for me to look, and it was a coyote,” he said. “That’s when I just turned around and started high tailing it.”
The coyote followed them, as Ghebremicael yelled, pulling Sophie with him. Once he was closer to other neighbours, the coyote went back into the field.
He said it wasn’t the first incident.
“Where I live there are tons of people with little dogs. And it’s not the first time we’ve heard coyotes,” he said.
He’s concerned for his neighbours and their pets, as some of them are elderly with little dogs.
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Animal sightings are common in the Central Okanagan.
There have been three bobcat sightings reported by conservation officers since February in the south Mission area and a cougar has been seen near Shadow Creek Drive near Ellison also within the last month.
Two coyotes have been seen in the Hollydell area, one on the Westside, and one near Upper Canyon Drive, as reported by conservation.
One encounter was considered to be aggressive, according to the Wildlife Alert Reporting Program map, which said pets attracted the coyote to the Upper Canyon area.
READ MORE: Cougar sightings on the rise in Okanagan
The website said coyotes are very adaptable to urban environments and recommended feeding pets indoors, cleaning up spilt seed from bird feeders, manage compost properly, and use an electric fence to protect livestock.
Deer frequent areas near Myra Bellevue Provincial Park and two were reported to be injured in the Dilworth Drive area.
The website recommends never feeding animals, and when it comes to deer, to chase them away so as they avoid becoming comfortable with people.
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