Columbus police come up with new plan to remove coyotes

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Traps did not work, now Columbus police are moving forward with a plan to eradicate coyotes from northside neighborhoods.

Police Chief Fred Shelton said he knows of two reports where two domesticated cats were killed by a coyote.

The reports have been in the Bluecutt and Holly Hills Road area, along with the Cady Hills neighborhood.

Shelton said traps have not worked to catch the nuisance animal.

Shelton asked residents to let officers know where they see a coyote and to not shoot the animal.

“They are predators. They are seeking food, and again, they have rabies. And the thing that we have to be concerned about is rabies and any other diseases that they might carry because they are wild animals they are not vaccinated and neither do they need to be. The thing is if they start encroaching to where we live there is a possibility they might attack human beings,” said Chief Shelton.

You can call Contact Help Line or post on the police department’s Facebook page to report a coyote sighting in the city.