PORT ARANSAS, Texas — Sandra Tuck, a resident from Central Texas has a trailer in the area and decided to take her dog Rudy for a walk before they went to sleep.
In the blink of an eye, Rudy was snatched.
"On one side of me, I picked up his leash on the other side and in a split second, this coyote — I mean at that time I didn't know it was a coyote — but I saw the end of it and I heard him yelp and in a split second, they were gone," she said.
Rudy was nowhere to be found.
"So I am freaking out, started talking to several neighbors in the park and they're like, 'we just saw a coyote under our trailer and right around people,'" Tuck said.
Texas Parks & Wildlife Department game warden Lerrin Johnson says these predators are seen more during extreme drought conditions because their normal sources of water and food have dried up.
"When folks are in these types of situations, where they are actively witnessing attacks on their animals, they definitely can go out, scare them off and go after them with whatever means they are capable of at the moment," she said.
The key is to let these creatures know that you are there.
"Make yourself known, holler, so that it will scare them off. Wildlife, do not want to truly interact with us," Johnson said.
Tuck's concern is that children play in the area and a coyote could attack.
Johnson says, it is critical they parents stay aware and try to make as much noise as possible if they were to come into contact with one.
