Coyotes roam free throughout Roseville.
That’s the reminder Roseville Police Department officials are offering locals.
Following several recent calls to the department, officials posted a “friendly reminder” on their Facebook page:
"Just a friendly reminder that there is no need to call animal control or police dispatch to report coyote sightings. Our dispatchers need that time to answer emergency and urgent calls for service. Coyotes have lived in Roseville forever!”
The post generated several comments, many of which included pictures of encounters locals have had with wily canines, including a mention of a rather popular and overweight coyote seen at Maidu Park.
“This particular Maidu-area coyote has caused many alarmed calls into police dispatch from people concerned that the coyote is posing a danger, or is sick because it’s so frequently seen in the daytime,” officials wrote in a statement.
"It was 20 feet off the path kind of in the bushes," said Damin Estes, Roseville resident. "I was just looking at it. We locked eyes for awhile and I just kept running behind it."
"My friend were out running around the park and it came running toward us," said Marie Wright, a Roseville resident.
Officials noted the coyote appears healthy and not aggressive, although, they believe locals may be feeding the animal, due to its size.
“We don't want them so comfortable in our residential areas that they get hit by cars or get into confrontations with our pets,” officials said.
No aggressive behavior has been reported, police said.
Coyote attacks on humans are extremely rare, and almost never result in fatalities, according to police.
Their normal diet consists of rodents, but they've been known to take cats and small dogs, police warned.
“A very good reason to keep small pets inside and to never let your dogs run off leash except in the city's designated dog parks.”