WCSO warns people to not approach coyotes after man bitten in Round Rock

ROUND ROCK, Texas - The Williamson County Sheriff's Office says a man in a Round Rock neighborhood was bitten by a coyote. 

It happened in the Teravista neighborhood near the golf course on Lone Tree Path. 

In the last two months, people living in that neighborhood have noticed an unusual amount of wildlife creeping onto their property, especially coyotes. 

“They look young and skinny, like they’re hungry probably, and they’re just kind of figuring their way out, learning their way around the community, trying to find a place to eat, a place for shelter,” said Cory Brymer whose property backs up to the golf course. 

Animal control officers with WCSO said part of the reason that’s happening is because of all the construction nearby. 

“Their home is being taken over, they don’t know what’s going on, so they’re trying to find their home, but it’s not there anymore so they’re roaming the streets,” said WCSO Animal Control Officer Phoebe Taylor. 

Brymer, said he sees about three or four coyotes per month now, sometimes just feet away from golfers. 

“They certainly seem like they are not afraid of people, they’re not afraid of an urban environment by any means, so it’s scary. I mean, we’re not used to seeing that sort of thing,” Brymer said. 

Animal control said around 10 a.m. Wednesday, one man got a little too close. 

“The call said he was trying to take a picture of the coyote and it just kind of nipped him on the bottom of the left foot,” said Taylor. 

“This was the first time that we’ve seen an incident like this in our neighborhood. And I think, for me personally, I think other people in our neighborhood, kind of reality set in that this isn’t a joke like you can get hurt and this is something that definitely needs to be taken more seriously,” Brymer said. 

Animal control said because coyotes are one of the top five carriers for rabies in Texas, they would normally try to capture and test the animal but, in this case, that wasn’t possible. 

“We lost sight of the coyote. We were unable to catch the coyote, so, therefore, we asked him to go seek post-exposure rabies treatment for being exposed to, potentially being exposed to, rabies,” said Taylor. 

The best thing to do if you do see a coyote is to give it plenty of space and try to scare it away. 

“You can clap really loud, you can yell at them, throw your hands up, you can get really big, make them go away,” Taylor said. 

Once the animals realize there is no nearby food source, animal control said they will likely move on. That’s why officers ask people not to feed the coyotes, or leave food or anything that could become food outside. 

Brymer said he would like to see the coyotes moved to a safer location before someone else gets hurt. 

WCSO recommends that anyone who sees a coyote in Teravista calls a wildlife removal company, animal control or the livestock unit.