Residents concerned after coyote sightings on Swiss Avenue in Dallas

A series of coyote sightings on Swiss Avenue in old East Dallas has people on the historic street concerned.        

A video showed the coyote darting into traffic last week and other residents have seen the wild animals in yards.

"We were awakened at 5:45 in the morning sounded like a lot of children crying, and I thought, goodness gracious, I better go see what's going on. Turns out it was Coyotes yelping,” said David Dean, a Swiss Ave. resident.

On Sunday, Dean saw a coyote right in front of him at 2:30 p.m.

"I was parked in front of my house, someone came along and stopped, the coyote came from out of the bushes and stopped in the front yard,” Dean said.

The Swiss Avenue Homeowner's Association put an alert out to neighbors. Steve Lightfoot with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said residents need to stand their ground.

“Let them know they aren't wanted there. Can be as simple as hitting them with a water hose, honking your horn making loud noises, even throw a stick or a rock, so they can associate that negative interaction with humans,” Lightfoot said.

Lightfoot said the coyotes are taking up residence in the area because they're finding an easy meal somewhere. The coyotes will likely leave if residents cut off their food supply either from garbage, pet food, or stray critters.

Trapping and moving coyotes usually doesn't work very well, because as long as there is a food source, others will move in, according to experts.