Mount Pleasant leaders respond to viral video of man wrestling coyote to save dog

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCBD) – Residents in one Mount Pleasant neighborhood are sharing concerns after learning about at least two recent coyote attacks.

Over the weekend, Nexstar’s News 2 heard from a man, Timothy Snipe, who saved his chihuahua, Roxie, from a coyote attack outside his home while still in his bathrobe. The story has since gone viral.

Now, the Town of Mount Pleasant is responding to the incident after Snipe’s neighbors say the animals are approaching their homes and continue to be a problem for the community.

“This could have been much worse and I’m glad Timothy is okay,” said Mount Pleasant Mayor Will Haynie.

While Mayor Haynie said he loves wildlife, he knows the safety of residents and their pets is a top priority for the town.

“We do everything we can to have a healthy ecosystem and we never want those experiences to be negative,” Mayor Haynie said.

One neighbor who lives next to Snipe says they’ve had several encounters with coyotes in the past. “We hear them every night when we come back, especially when there’s sirens. They sound like monkeys,” the neighbor said.

He says since Snipe had that experience, he’s been way more vigilant about protecting his dog, “Keeping him on a leash and stuff like that and trying not to keep so many scraps of food out,” he added.

When asked, Mayor Haynie said he believes the coyote population in Mount Pleasant is too high.

“There are a lot of sightings and you see a lot of that on social media, but attacks or experiences like this do seem to be rare,” Haynie said.

Haynie says if coyotes were ever to become a bigger threat in Mount Pleasant it would be up to the State Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) to do something about it.

“Wildlife management is a state issue, the Department of Natural Resources and state law prevails. We encourage people to be safe around wildlife,” Haynie said.

People in Snipe’s neighborhood said they’ve contacted DNR about getting coyote traps put out in their neighborhood.