Valley homeowners are starting to see coyotes go to new heights to find food in their neighborhoods.
One couple was joined by a coyote during their morning cup of coffee in Sun City West and the real surprise came when they watched it jump to the top of their 8-foot high concrete wall and start roaming back and forth.
"It's an amazing thing to see it go up to it and look like a cat going up a tree," said Tom Kovacevich, who snapped pictures of the animal in action.
He says coyotes have been hopping the neighborhood walls more often and making themselves at home.
He says he's spotted them sleeping in his front planters and behind bushes against his house.
Kovacevich says they're likely scouting for rabbits as urban sprawl has shrunk their natural hunting grounds.
"They're part of where we live, they were here before we were. The golf course is their home," he said. "The golf course is being used in the daytime so they den up at night."
When we asked Arizona Game and Fish about coyote sightings in urban areas, officials stressed that coyotes are a predator and small pets can easily be mistaken for the small-sized prey they're after.
Conservation officers said people who encounter a coyote should take actions to scare it off, including making a scene, yelling and throwing objects. Failure to scare off the animals can cause them to come back, especially if pets are fed outside.
Game and Fish will only come trap coyotes if they hurt a pet or a person.
