CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WTVR) - He says a coyote killed his pet cat.
"I found the cat dead in the yard and I saw a coyote walking out of the backyard at the same time," Michael Perkins said.
The Dinwiddie man is one of several people who've recently reported coyote sightings in Central Virginia. Chesterfield Police said since September 1, they've fielded eight coyote-related calls.
"I'll see them two to three days out of the week," hunter Roy Cox said. "They're in neighborhoods, they've grown accustom to man."
Hunter Brian Langford called coyotes a "nuisance species." He said he killed 15 coyotes last year and added they are impacting the area's deer population.
"All the hunting worlds up in arms about them, they're pretty devastating on small game and deer herds," Cox added.
There is no official coyote hunting season, the animal can be hunted year round.
The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries said it was monitoring the coyote population. It recommended neighbors secure trash cans and bring pet food inside at night to lower the risk of attracting coyotes to their yards.
"When we let out small dogs out now, we pretty much stay out in the yard with them," Perkins said following the death of his cat.
