Eerie moment coyotes howl and stalk the quiet streets of San Francisco amid the coronavirus pandemic

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Eerie moment coyotes howl and stalk the quiet streets of San Francisco which remain empty amid the coronavirus pandemic

  • Coyotes are heard howling back and forth to one another in the video
  • They were on the corner of Greenwich and Powell in the North Beach area
  • Nick Delia shared footage of the action outside his apartment from around midnight last week
  • Other coyote sightings have recently been reported in the California city 
  • Learn more about how to help people impacted by COVID

By Leah Simpson For Dailymail.com

Published: | Updated:

An eerie new video has captured coyotes freely roaming the streets of San Francisco, which remain empty amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The recording shared on social media Tuesday features two wild dogs walking in the middle of the road at night.

In the clip, the animals are heard howling back and forth to one another.

The coyotes were outside Nick Delia’s apartment on the corner of Greenwich and Powell in the North Beach area around midnight last week.

They were on the corner of Greenwich and Powell in the North Beach area last week around midnight

Coyotes are heard howling back and forth to one another on the corner of Greenwich and Powell in the North Beach area last week around midnight

Other coyote sightings have recently been reported in San Francisco, California

Other coyote sightings have recently been reported in San Francisco, California 

The location is nearby playgrounds, parks and a street lined with businesses that have been closed due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU SEE A COYOTE

Never run away from a coyote or it will likely chase, The Humane Society of the United States advises. 

HAZING METHODS 

Stand tall, wave your arms, and yell at the coyote, approaching them if necessary, until they run away.  

Noisemakers: Voice, whistles, air horns, bells, ‘shaker’ cans full of marbles or pennies, pots, lid or pie pans banged together

Projectiles: sticks, small rocks, cans, tennis balls or rubber balls

Other: hoses, water guns with vinegar water, spray bottles with vinegar water, pepper spray or bear repellent.

In San Francisco there have been 987 cases of the virus and 15 deaths. In the state of California there are 25,779 cases and 790 deaths.

The video has been widely shared online after many other coyote sightings in the city where some of 8,000 homeless people are still out on the streets after isolation hotel rooms and shelters filled up.

Coyotes are spotted occasionally in urban areas of the Bay but the sightings have increased after the government urged people to stay home to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

It’s especially strict in San Francisco where the mayor has ordered people to only go out for essentials such as groceries. 

Authorities have advised people to make loud noises to scare the wild dogs away.

A five-year-old girl was bitten at the Dublin Hills Regional park recently where she was just after 2pm with her family.

Her mother had tried to shoo the pack of five or six coyotes away but one managed to bite the girl on the neck and has a laceration in the back that required sutures.

‘I’ve been with the district since 2005 and to my knowledge, we haven’t had a coyote attack a human being,’ Doug Bell, Wildlife Program Manager with the East Regional Park District (EBRPD) said. 

Coyotes are spotted occasionally in urban areas of the Bay

The sightings have increased after the government urged people to stay home to prevent the spread of coronavirus

Coyotes are spotted occasionally in urban areas of the Bay but the sightings have increased after the government urged people to stay home to prevent the spread of coronavirus

Authorities have advised people to make loud noises to scare the wild dogs away

Authorities have advised people to make loud noises to scare the wild dogs away