NORTH TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WKBW) — North Tonawanda residents and officials are on high alert as coyote sightings increase across the community.
"We got a lot of complaints," Mayor Austin Tylec said. "There are hundreds of coyotes in the city. There has been such an influx. It does create a lot of concerns, because the last thing we need is one child, person or animal hurt."
Neighbors Vanessa Dzielski and Tina Smith have documented coyote sightings throughout their neighborhood, including capturing video at Stenzil Field.
"She's got dogs, I've got a grandson, we don't want to let them out," Dzielski said.
"It's a park and I'm afraid for children getting hurt," Smith said. "There are baseball games there three days a week, and there's a lot that goes on at that park. I would hate to see a child mauled."
The coyote problem has reached North Tonawanda High School. Superintendent Dr. Jeffrey Jachlewski said coyotes have been spotted where students walk daily.
"It's been a daily occurrence, and multiple times per day," Jachlewski said. "We typically have kids outside, and it's where kids are walking home through, we wouldn't want to see anything bad happen between our students and a coyote."
WATCH: 'Hundreds of coyotes': North Tonawanda addressing influx of coyote sightings
In response to safety concerns, Tylec said they are stepping in to help with the concerns, euthanizing the coyote if necessary.
"I have authorized somebody internally, who is licensed," Tylec said. "They use some kind of bait of sorts, and there's a trapping mechanism to capture the animals. We're not trying to decimate a population here by any means."
The mayor is also seeking community assistance through a coyote sighting submission form posted online. You can fill that out here.
