It was quite the surprise at Cane Bay Elementary School in January after a coyote was found hiding behind a bathroom toilet. Berkeley County’s Community Action Team was able to wrangle the coyote safely out of the building.
According to the Urban Coyote Research Project, coyotes can use any habitat, but they prefer open areas. Coyotes continue to show up in cities – and researchers believe development and sprawl is one reason. As development takes away natural habitat – coyotes head into town.
Coyotes usually avoid humans and weigh 25-35 pounds and look like German shepherds or collies.
According to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, while they are growing, coyote populations are expected to stabilize allowing deer, turkey and small game to still exist in healthy numbers in South Carolina.
