JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A dead duck was found in an Ortega Park yard, in the Duclay Forest neighborhood of Jacksonville's Westside, following a recent coyote sighting.
Sharon Trigg told News4Jax on Friday that she's feeling a bit nervous after she spotted the coyote outside her Ortega Park home, where she has lived for 18 years.
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Trigg said she was inside her home off Blanding Boulevard shortly before 3:30 p.m. one day last week when she heard a commotion outside. She said she looked out her door and saw a coyote.
The commotion was likely from ducks and geese trying to get away from the coyote. Home surveillance video shows bird running and flying away. Shortly after, a coyote can be seen in the background, running across the backyard.
As someone who has two cats and likes to be outdoors, Trigg said, she wishes the coyote had been trapped and released back into the woods.
Trigg also took photos from her back door before the coyote ran off. The coyote looks very thin and doesn't have a lot of hair.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission confirmed that the coyote likely has mange.
FWC officials said they don't trap nuisance animals. But the agency does have a list of trappers whom anyone can hire. An FWC permit is required use steel traps.
Trigg said she’s not comfortable putting a trap in her backyard because of all the animals -- such as birds, possums and raccoons -- that come through her neighborhood.
She hopes the coyote goes back to the woods, saying it’s concerning to see it in her busy neighborhood.
"There’s kids all over the neighborhood. They come home from school. This was actually around 3:30 in the afternoon and there were kids walking home from school. So, yes, it’s very concerning," Trigg said. "I found a dead duck about four days later in my yard I can’t say positively about it was it, but I’ve lived here years and I’ve never had a dead duck in my yard and you could tell it had been gouged."
According to the FWC, because the coyote looks thin and likely has mange that doesn't mean it's any more dangerous to the public than a healthy coyote.
VIEW: FWC guide to living with urban coyotes
The agency reminds the public not to approach a wild animal and, especially, not to feed one. Pet owners should also keep a close eye on dogs and cats, as they can catch mange.