Sullivan's coyotes may face taller fences

A warning sign about coyotes in Mount Pleasant is shown in this January 2014 file photo. Coyotes are thought to have moved from Mount Pleasant to Sullivan's Island. FILE/Wade Spees/Staff

On Sullivan's Island, concern about coyotes prompted the Town Council Public Safety Committee to recommend this week that residents be allowed to have seven-foot-tall fences.

Currently, the fence height limit is five feet.

The proposal is scheduled to go before the full Council on Dec. 16, said Mayor Pro Tem Jerry Kaynard.

In addition, the committee suggested a more aggressive effort to address the coyote population. Specifics were not offered as to what the new techniques for managing coyotes might be, he said.

Coyotes are being seen in packs on the island. There are worries about pets being harmed. "We're going to place ourselves in the middle of a pack of coyotes trying to defend our pets," he said.

Coyotes are found in every county in the state. The state Department of Natural Resources says that it is "extremely rare" for a coyote to attack a person. There are only two known deaths from coyote attacks. They happened in California and Canada, the DNR says.

"Coyotes are naturally fearful of people," the DNR says.

However, coyotes may lose their fear of humans if they become habituated to their presence. In such cases, a coyote may chase a jogger, a bicyclist or someone walking a pet, the DNR says.

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Sullivan's coyotes may face taller fences