Benton Harbor Police: Caution! A Wild Coyote is in the City

Benton Harbor police sent a warning to city residents in the Southwest Michigan community: there is a wild coyote on the loose.

The BHPD shared on social media:

SAFETY ALERT: Anyone seeing coyotes in inner-city Benton Harbor please use extreme caution, STAY AWAY and contact Animal Control. There is a report of a person possibly being bitten by one yesterday in town. These animals are NOT friendly, and potentially sick when they actually approach people!

Interesting about this encounter is the animal is not in a more rural or residential area of the city but seen in the downtown business district - inner-city part of town.

Security footage appears to show the animal near a dumpster - a source of food, no doubt.

City residents were quick to share sightings of the animal.

I have been seeing one on the same road I travel for about a month now here in benton barbor, why wont it leave. Im assuming its eating good, but anybody that even got close to one of them is crazy

They've been here for a very long time Hayward Wells and River Terrace over by Miami and now they're branching off. Please be careful my friend had to fight one of from attacking her w year old son down in river terrace

we saw him a few weeks back crossing Main St near State Theater at night in the car.

Always coming through my backyard, Ravine end of Pavone. (NIGHTLY) Red Fox also.

Yeah out here in Benton Manor they roaming

Those locations are throughout the city, north to the Whirlpool headquarters as well as south and east into Benton Township.

No one would keep a coyote as a pet. Here are other animals banned as pets across America.