A San Francisco family recently found quite the surprise on their property.
The Williams family in Cole Valley said they first started to notice that their garden was getting chewed up. Then they later found a 5-month-old coyote pup hiding in a wall in their home.
There has been a lot of sightings of coyotes in San Francisco the past couple of years. Animal control said an estimated 100 coyotes live in San Francisco and help control the rodent population.
Anthony Williams told NBC Bay Area Tuesday that he wasn’t totally shocked when he saw the young male coyote outside his second story doorstep last Monday.
“We know they live in the park, but I have never seen them. But maybe late night crossing a street – but rarely,” he said.
Williams said this is the first young coyote to drop in on his family home, where they lived for 12 years.
“The juveniles, I guess it’s an issue because you see our back yard. It has a big drop here, so he came in the backyard and probably had a hard time getting out,” he said.
The trapped coyote pup chewed through a hose trying to get water and it ate a few of the family’s aloe vera plants.
Williams said he thought it was probably skunks or raccoons causing all the damage when he first saw it Monday but then it got worse.
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He said there was strange new passageway formed between his home and next door where a renovation project is underway.
“It dug a hole and went under the fence right here, so it’s pretty skinny,” he said.
Williams said he then saw the coyote’s eyes looking up at him at his back door Wednesday and wildlife officers came immediately when he called them that day.
They finally found the little guy huddled inside a wall, trying to hide from them.
“They put a blanket over him, and it makes them a little docile, and then they just picked him out and scooped him up – and they returned him to Golden Gate Park,” he said.
Williams said his daughter was inspired to see the work of the wildlife officers rescuing the young coyote and the family hopes he was able to reunite with his canine family in the park.
