Limping coyote spotted in La Cañada neighborhood

A coyote who appeared sick wandered around a hillside neighborhood in La Cañada Flintridge Thursday morning, stopping to eat avocados and drink pond water, according to residents.

Marilynn and Charles Howard, who live on Lone Pine Lane, spotted the coyote a few times over the past two days. The animal first appeared in their driveway on Wednesday and was limping badly, said Charles Howard.

“It just doesn’t look healthy,” he said. “It looks very strange for a coyote.”

Howard said he watched the coyote eat avocados from an avocado tree in a neighbor’s yard. Another neighbor reported that it was drinking water from a pond in a front yard, he said.

Today, he said, the animal made its way down to Foothill Boulevard and then returned to the neighborhood. It’s unusual to see an animal act so brave in the middle of the day, he added.

Howard said he tried to call animal control, but his message was not returned. He said he is worried about the safety of the residents in the neighborhood. “Unhealthy [coyotes] present a much greater danger, in my opinion.”

Ricky Whitman, a spokeswoman for the Pasadena Humane Society, said an officer responded to the neighborhood around 1:30 p.m. but did not find the coyote.

“We will be putting out extra patrols in the area,” she said. “If it is injured, we want to make sure it gets the appropriate care.”

Whitman said it’s not unusual to see coyotes during the day, especially on a warm day.

“Warmer weather brings out different behavior than cold weather,” she said. “It wouldn’t be a surprise at all. It’s not unusual to see coyotes any time, day or night.”

-- Tiffany Kelly, Times Community News

Follow Tiffany Kelly on Google+ and on Twitter @LATiffanyKelly.