Mississippi Man Finds Coyote on Porch, People Tell Him to Shoot It

A man who found a coyote on his porch was stunned to be told that he should shoot the animal.

The southern Mississippi man, who wished to remain anonymous, saw the animal on his front porch on August 20 and noticed that it didn't look well.

"I thought it was a dog at first, then I got closer and saw it looked kinda strange. It seemed really dehydrated or scared. Not aggressive at all," the man told Newsweek.

The coyote is native to North America and has a long history across the western U.S. and in parts of Mexico. A medium-sized member of the dog family, its habitation in North America predates European settlers.

An adult coyote typically weighs between 20 and 50 pounds and stands at around 24 inches tall. The animal is well suited to grasslands, forests, deserts, mountains and even urban and suburban areas. Known for vocalizations including howling, yipping and barking, the coyote can be dangerous to people but will usually avoid them.

There has been only one documented case of a fatal coyote attack in North America when a 19-year-old folk singer from Toronto, Canada, was attacked and killed by two coyotes on a popular trail.

Despite this, coyote attacks on humans are rare, and often small dogs and cats are at higher risk from aggression by them.

After seeing the coyote in his yard, the man shared a picture on Reddit's r/animalaid subreddit—a space where people can share pictures and videos, and other users can help identify the animal species.

Alongside the pictures, the poster added: "Is this a coyote on my porch? Does it need help?"

In more than 1,000 comments, though, people were quick to urge the man to kill the animal.

"Coyotes are nasty vermin. Don't help an animal that would rip apart your cat or small dog without a second thought," wrote one Reddit user, while another posted: "It needs a bullet! Kill 'em all!"

"Coyotes are predators, And should be exterminated," replied another, while some users wrote that they thought the coyote would have rabies—another reason to shoot the animal.

"I was not expecting such a large reaction, but I was frustrated and disheartened that so many people were suggesting that I shoot the coyote. You can't diagnose sickness from a simple photo," said the man who found the animal. Instead, he contacted the local game warden who came and captured the coyote.

"I believe it was extremely dehydrated because of the lack of rain in recent weeks," the man said.

In a later comment, a vet tech, wildlife rehabber and moderator on the subreddit locked the comments after adding a note to those calling for the animal's death.

"Everyone here understands the need to protect yourself and your family from animal attacks. However, this is a coyote pup hiding under a chair, cowering, and obviously not well," wrote skunkangel on Reddit.

"It's not inside anyone's home. No one is at risk of attack or harm," the poster added. "This animal is not acting in any threatening way. We know that some people believe in shooting every coyote or predatory animal they see, but that kind of thinking is what causes deer overpopulation, and other species' populations to be off from year to year."