Scottie McMichael told Nashville's News 2 he witnessed the woman being followed by the coyote.MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -
Murfreesboro residents are continuing to voice their concerns after a coyote was spotted in recent days living on the airport's property.
The coyote has been spotted by numerous neighbors and people who work in the area near Memorial Boulevard.
On Monday afternoon, workers at the airport got a bizarre call from a jogger, a woman saying she was being followed by a coyote.
"She was quite scared, because of it following her. She called us here at the airport and 911 to let the police know," said airport manager Chad Gehrke.
Gehrke added, "It's something we've seen in the area of this side of town quite frequently."
Nearby resident Scottie McMichael told Nashville's News 2 he witnessed the woman being followed by the coyote.
"The first thing I thought was it's awful cold to be out here running," he said, "Then as she started running down through here, I caught him out of the corner of my eye and thought, ‘Is that a dog? Oh my God, it's a coyote.'"
McMicheal said he watched this coyote trail the jogger from within the airport fencing for a few hundred yards.
"It just popped up right through here and started running along the fence line right behind her," said McMichael, "It was very eerie, very creepy to watch that take place."
According to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, it is not typical behavior of coyotes to follow people.
"Most of the time, they will not pursue a human at all," said Davidson County Wildlife Officer Joe Fortner, adding, "Even a large dog or a kid, they don't want to be around them. They'll run away pretty quickly."
According to officials, this is the time of year that people may notice more coyotes, as the animals are looking for their next meal.
"They've having to move a lot and even with the warmer winter, the foods still not there," explained Fortner.
Officials from the Murfreesboro Airport said they are working with wildlife officials to determine where the coyote is hiding so they can safely get it off the property since it does present a safety hazard.
"It's a safety concern. But also for our neighbors, it's a big concern," said Gehrke, "We're working to get it out, find it and get it out of the fence."
