CHARLOTTE, N.C. — More sightings of foxes and coyotes are being reported across Charlotte.
Some neighbors said they are avoiding certain areas because they are worried about their safety.
You don't have to go looking for the coyotes to find them.
Just a week ago, one of Channel 9's crews in north Charlotte saw a large coyote run across Fincher Boulevard to jump on a walking path in a residential area.
"I'm planning to jump back in the car and leave as fast as I can," Shameca Holloway said.
Holloway was going to walk the greenway until she learned coyotes have been spotted there.
"I don't do coyotes at all," she said.
Holloway has been spooked ever since her daughter spotted a coyote outside their home in west Charlotte.
She didn't realize they were also in the neighborhoods near the RibbonWalk Nature Preserve in north Charlotte.
The problem isn't isolated.
South Charlotte has its own mysterious neighbors.
"You would see one, if not two, foxes together," Dilworth resident Robert Bradham said.
Bradham thinks there are half a dozen foxes in Dilworth bigger than his dog.
"They're a little spooky at night when they're shadowing you around," Bradham said.
A dozen neighbors have spotted the foxes roaming dangerously close to their pets in Latta Park. Some said they have even seen them in their backyards.
Officials with the Wildlife Resources Commission think people are seeing more foxes and coyotes because waves of construction projects are destroying their habitats.
More animals spill into parks and yards each time a heavily wooded area is destroyed by a development for apartments or homes.
"That comes as a surprise because these are regular neighborhoods,” Holloway said. “I wouldn't expect to see them out here. Like Mount Holly probably, Belmont maybe, but not in the main city areas."
So what do you do if you run into a coyote? You should keep your cats inside, keep your dog on a leash, and if your pet is small enough, pick it up.
The best way to avoid trouble is to avoid walking early in the morning or late in the evening.
No one has reported that their pets have been hurt.
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