Coyotes eating family pets in Bradenton | News

Bradenton, Florida - Residents in Bradenton say a pack of aggressive coyotes are eating up neighborhood animals and have now started going after family pets.

Melody Sweetman-Carpenter lives in the Bay Lake Estates neighborhood and had no idea the wild animals were roaming the area.

Over the weekend she allowed her Maltese "Ari" out to potty. Within less than two minutes she says her boyfriend heard the dog squeal.

"He found her lying with her neck completely bloody and slashed," said Sweetman-Carpenter who now wants to warn others of the potential danger. "First they started with little small animals, now they're not even afraid of people anymore."

She's now placed a large sign between two posts in her front yard with a description of what happened.

Other residents are also concerned after hearing of a second family pet killed just a few houses down. Some neighbors have even reported seeing as many as four coyotes at a time wandering behind homes, and even in the streets.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Officials have told residents coyotes don't pose a major risk to people and if they should be approached by one of the animals, make loud noises to scare them off. 

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