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Neighbors Have Mixed Reactions To Family Of Coyotes In Midtown Neighborhood

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A family of coyotes has made their home in a midtown Sacramento neighborhood drawing mixed reactions from residents in the area.

Under a mound of dirt, a family of three coyotes has made their home right in the middle of this midtown neighborhood.

"I don't have a problem with it," Julie Sze said. "Now we come out and look for her and if we don't see her we get kind of sad."

A mom and her two pups claimed their home at 23rd and Capitol Avenue about a week ago. Our camera has even caught a glimpse of one. While some neighbors are excited, others are concerned about their safety.

"They should get permission from the state. The animal has been observed being aggressive. There is little children right here on this block," business owner Ognian Gavrilov said.

The city's animal control said these are urban coyotes and actually in their natural habitat. They have closed off a portion of the sidewalk to reduce the chances of the public and coyotes meeting face-to-face. But, they agree the location is problematic.

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"It's so close to where people are constantly that she was constantly being protective of the pups, and that creates a public safety hazard that we don't want," Jace Huggins, Chief Animal Control Officer for Sacramento, said.

Huggins says it's illegal to move a coyote without state approval. While he is in contact with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, he says it's still too early to evict the coyote family.

"We want to give the pups time to acclimate and get a little bit stronger and then we will try to get her to move along," Huggins said.

Huggins warns people should not feed the family, get too close, or interact. Animal control expects to start 'hazing' the animals with the public's help to move them along in the next couple weeks, but one neighbor says that is not soon enough.

"It's absolutely irresponsible, they should remove these animals and move them somewhere else where it is not so dangerous," Gavrilov said.

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