MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. – Bob Augustine's new trail camera caught a coyote prowling the backyard of his Merritt Island home early Sunday, according to Local 6 News partner Florida Today.
About four months ago, some of Augustine's pet ducks disappeared from his backyard in the 1900 block of N Tropical Trail.
Bobcats have taken ducks before, Augustine said, but the tracks didn't match and no feathers were left behind this time.
"It was like something just came and grabbed them," he said.
One day, he spotted what looked like a coyote. Soon, he started noticing more tracks, he said, so he bought a camera from Amazon.com.
Early Sunday he checked and saw a coyote fleeing along the brushline in his yard.
"They're just out there roaming," he said. "Doing what they do."
Augustine suspects there are two animals and they may be responsible for the missing ducks and orphaning two baby raccoons Augustine found in his yard Saturday.
"I fear that the mother may have been a victim of the coyote or some other fate," he said.
Augustine said he and his wife have been keeping a closer eye on their dogs since the ducks disappeared, and said he worried about what he called an increase in lost-pet signs in the neighborhood.
"It sure does seem like an awful coincidence," he said.