Residents of New Orleans’ Broadmoor neighborhood are expressing shock and concern after recent encounters with coyotes, which have resulted in the tragic loss of a beloved pet and prompted calls for action.
Matthew Pantoja, a Broadmoor resident, captured cellphone footage of a coyote lurking beneath a nearby house over the weekend, shortly after discovering his cat‘s remains nearby. Pantoja, visibly shaken by the incident, shared his sorrow, saying, “I never thought I would see coyotes. We’re pretty central as far as New Orleans and urban areas.”
Purla, his 11-year-old cat, had been his companion since she was a kitten. Her tragic demise has left him deeply saddened. “It was a horrible ending for her. It’s just something I never would’ve expected out here,” Pantoja remarked.
Pantoja had lived in the Broadmoor neighborhood for two years and had allowed his cat to roam freely. However, just five days before the incident, Purla went missing. Concerned for her safety, Pantoja went door to door in search of her and stumbled upon a vacant Airbnb property.
“I just kind of got a feeling like this is the one house that we did not check, and I was kind of putting two and two together that this house has been vacant for a while, and it’s the one we didn’t check,” Pantoja explained.
Chandler Nutick, a neighbor and father of a 3-year-old child, also had a concerning encounter with a coyote in his backyard just a day after Pantoja’s incident. While he is worried about the safety of his large dog, he is equally concerned about the coyote’s presence in the area. “It’s definitely a concern. It’s more of a concern with my dog, though because we do let him hang out in the backyard by himself, and he’s a big dog, but I wouldn’t want him to have an interaction with a coyote that’s killed at least one cat,” Nutick stated.
In response to these incidents, Pantoja reached out to the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, who advised him to hire a personal trapper at a cost of $250 per day. However, Pantoja believes that the city should cover these expenses, arguing, “Seems off because it’s like, you know, it’s a coyote, a wild animal in the city. You would think that would be something the city would cover.”
Residents in the Broadmoor neighborhood are now calling for action and support to address the presence of coyotes and ensure the safety of their pets and families.
