Isle of Palms police warn residents to keep pets close after coyote attack

ISLE OF PALMS, S.C. (WCBD) — Isle of Palms have seen a major uptick in reported coyote sightings and are warning residents to be careful taking their pets near the beach.

This weekend, a resident was outside her home in the dunes with her two dogs when one of them was attacked by a coyote. The woman brought her dogs inside to find one of them was bleeding on its leg from a bite. Thankfully the dog survived.

Isle of Palms police say the best thing you can do in this situation is try and scare the coyote off.

“Anything to make yourself bigger than the animal, that’s what we’re telling people to do. To make yourself bigger than the coyote, loud noises, bright lights, anything like that will deter or scare the coyote. Acting aggressive towards them. What you don’t want to do is turn your back or run away from the coyote; they will see it as a sign of weakness and go after you,” said Isle of Palms Sgt. Matt Storen.

Last year, the agency said it saw a large increase in coyote sightings reporting 148 just in 2024. They say they are especially prevalent in the winter months because there is less food, and it is the breeding season.

Starting tomorrow, the police department will be working with a licensed trapping company to trap the coyotes. They shared some advice for residents and visitors to keep your pets safe.

“Scrap food in your trashcan bag, make sure you have your lids closed. They’re really forging for food right now because there’s limited amounts of food. When you’re out walking your pets, make sure they’re on a leash even if you’re on a beach and it’s the off-leash hours we really encourage you to keep your dog or pet close keep them on a leash especially when walking on those beach access paths in the dunes. If your dog goes off leash, it’s in the dunes that’s where we’re seeing a lot of the coyotes,” said Storen.

The police department asks residents to report any coyote sightings or incidents.