Coyote boldly hops fence in broad daylight to eat rabbit in backyard

Coyotes often live in the woods that border residential areas, and generally, they live in harmony with the humans that have encroached upon their territory. We often forget that we are the ones who are spreading outwards into their neighborhoods. When they make an appearance near our homes, it causes great concern, and in some cases, near terror. We have all heard stories of pets going missing during the evening hours. Some of us have even experienced this. We worry for the safety of our children, and understandably so.

It is rare for coyotes to take pets off doorsteps or from residential lawns. It is even more rare for a coyote to be dangerous to humans. But we cannot help being afraid when we hear the spine chilling howls of coyotes hunting in the shadows just beyond our sight.

This coyote was sighted on a frozen and snow covered pond in Peterborough, Ontario. It is the edge of a city with well over 100,000 people. There are houses all around, even though the woods are a short distance away. Two residents were shocked to see a coyote wandering nonchalantly over the pond just beyond their fence line. They began recording it. They were even more shocked to see it approach the fence with purpose, hop the fence with ease and stand fearlessly behind the house beside theirs as it ate the remains of a rabbit.

It was later learned that the rabbit had been freshly killed and left by an earlier predator. It could have been this same coyote or even a hawk that killed it, but the memory or the smell of the carcass brought this coyote directly to the yard to finish it. The rabbit had been seen in the back yard a few times in the weeks before and he had been popular with the residents.

The coyote seems unconcerned with its proximity to humans. The couple filming had just called their two small dogs in from the yard. As they call their neighbor excitedly to tell him to look outside, they comment that their dogs and their grandchildren could have been at risk. They were unnerved and fascinated by this spectacle, occurring in broad daylight, right where they would never expect it.

Tom filmed this event and posted it on social media. The frenzy of comments and shares was hardly a surprise as people all shared their worries and opinions. Some expressed the same concern about an animal that would be so bold. Others weighed in with opinions about the poor rabbit vs. the coyote that deserved to eat. Many were simply amused by the fact that the coyote did more than eat the rabbit. He also urinated and defecated beside it, either to mark his claim or to announce that he didn't care at all who saw him carry on his business wherever he liked.

Whether you side with the coyote or the rabbit, and whether you think coyotes should be left alone or eradicated, you can't help but admire the spunk of this particular beast.