ATLANTA - Wild coyotes are becoming an increasingly familiar sight in metro Atlanta suburbs, causing animal owners to become more cautious with their pets, authorities said. <br>
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``We have had coyote sightings throughout areas of the park,'' said Bill Carroll, deputy superintendent of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, which borders a neighborhood in Roswell. <br>
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Dogs, cats and rabbits have been disappearing in the area for months, while ``lost pet'' signs and animal carcasses are turning up everywhere. <br>
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Nearly every county in the state counts the feral creatures among its wildlife even metro Atlanta suburbs. <br>
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``As Atlanta continues to spread urban and suburban expansion conflicts with several species of wildlife are going to increase,'' said Nick Nicholson, senior wildlife biologist with the Wildlife Resource Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. <br>
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``This is the reproductive time of the year, and a few of last year's offspring are also in the vicinity.'' <br>
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Coyotes weigh about 30 pounds, have fur, long legs and bushy tails. <br>
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The good news about coyotes is that they don't stick around too long. The bad news is that no action can be taken against them unless they're spotted in a resident's yard, and even then they must be captured by a licensed trapper.
