"It was just kind of a little creepy to think that this wild animal is right in our backyard," Preston Ponds resident Sheri Kohles said.
Kohles says she saw the wild animal Monday morning just steps away from her home in Cary's Preston Ponds Subdivision.
"We watched it eat something and then it went back, kind of into these bushes over here," Kohles said.
Kohles says her 17-year-old daughter snapped pictures of the animal, believed to be a coyote.
"We tried to scare it away and it ran away for about five minutes, came back and it finished off the eggs," Kohles said.
Her husband e-mailed the pictures to a neighbor, who later sent it to others in the subdivision concerned a small pet or a child could be hurt by the wild animal.
Preston Ponds board member David Campbell heard about the sighting and saw another e-mail about a coyote pictured in a nearby golf course.
"Didn't know what to think," Campbell said. "I'm not accustomed to having a coyote here in the city limits."
He says the home owners association contacted Animal Control, but got little help.
"We were told that they cannot trap, they have not been trained," Campbell said. "The Animal Control Division has not been trained on how to properly trap a coyote so there's nothing they can do."
Animal Control says a coyote is considered to be wildlife, just like raccoons or possums. They are only able to trap an animal that's been injured or appears to be sick, but a mere sighting is not enough to remove wildlife.
That concerns residents like Campbell, who fear the coyote could be dangerous.
"A hands off doctrine doesn't make sense to me," Campbell said.
Kohles says if she says the coyote again, she plans to call Animal Control.
Officials say the best thing to do is to stay away from any wild animal and if you have any questions call Animal Control.
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