SANDY, Utah — Tina Demayo knows her home nestled between Dimple Dell Regional Park and many mountain trailheads is a prime example of Sandy's slogan: "Where Urban Meets Mountain."
"We have a lot of open space all throughout Sandy. We have trails on the east and the west — that's not unusual for us to have large creatures," Demayo said.
However, it is unusual for Demayo to hear of multiple missing pets nearby, including one of her own.
"Our cats have been put completely indoors. When someone was visiting our house while we were out of town, the cat escaped, and we haven't seen it since," Demayo recalled.
Demayo has also noticed an increase in coyote sightings, animal attacks, and animal mutilations — including the pack of coyotes she had on her deck this past week.
Sgt. Greg Moffitt with the Sandy Police Department says seeing wildlife is common near area like Dimple Dell, but the number of coyote attacks has been slightly out of the ordinary.
"If I recall, it seems like we've had a little bit of an uptick recently," Sgt. Moffitt said. "We usually see a couple a year; we don't usually see a couple in one week."
Sandy isn't the only city that's been having problems with coyotes. Some Draper residents have also reported coyote sightings and attacks. The Draper City Police Department posted on Facebook last week, saying coyotes have been spotted in various parts of the city and encouraging residents to supervise pets — especially during dusk and dawn.
There are also additional things residents can do to help keep their pets safe.
"If you have one smaller animal or two you tend to keep them out at night, maybe look at some other means of bringing them inside," Sgt. Moffitt said. "Leaving your pets' food out on the deck or the back patio — all that does is draw in other animals."
Sgt. Moffitt also recommends calling animal services when needed.
"I'm just wanting people to keep their animals inside and be much more aware of the predatory animals around us," Demayo said. "We can learn more about how to cohabitate with these animals without losing our own."
