A mom's chilling encounter with a coyote lurking in her backyard has gone viral.
Bethany Morris, a mom of four from Oklahoma, shared the footage in a clip on TikTok, showing the wild animal watching her twins from a distance.
Morris filmed the coyote that had its eyes fixed on the area where her two children often play. She wrote on the text overlay: "POV: your kids play alone out there."
Sharing more information, Morris' caption read: "NOT ANYMORE! I don't mean to be dramatic but I swear this coyote was looking at the twins like they were a SNACK."
Coyotes are not uncommon in Oklahoma, where their populations thrive due to the state's mix of open plains, wooded areas and suburban developments. Though they are naturally shy around humans, they can occasionally venture into residential areas in search of food, especially during the winter months.
Generally, coyotes are not a significant danger to humans, as they are naturally wary of people and prefer to avoid contact. However, small children and pets can be at risk, particularly in areas where coyotes have become accustomed to human presence or food sources.
Morris' clip has been viewed over 840,000 times and received over 800 comments from other social media users.
"In daylight! That close! Yikes," one user wrote. "Warn neighbors and call animal control," another instructed.
Some even reported coyotes had been acting strangely near to their homes too. "Had one come all the way up to the house while our kids were outside. Dogs attacked it and it ran and it came back an hour later," one said.
"I came home from work at first light and two were fighting a mamma cow," reported another.
A handful of users also recommended Morris purchase a guard dog, such as a Pyrenees, to protect her children.
"They'll keep them [coyotes] away and keep your babies safe. Ours is the best $400 we've spent," one user wrote.
"That's why we have dogs. our dogs never let another dog or coyote get near my little cousins or nieces/nephews. one time we had my cousin over and he was playing outside in the sand and a neighbors dog ran over after him but our dogs got to the other dog before anything and chased it off our yard, you just never know when it comes to other animals you don't know," another user wrote.
Another shared that they live by coyotes and sometimes will see them in daylight. "They avoid humans unless they're concerned or a mama that feels like her babies are threatened," they said.
Experts recommend installing high fences, removing potential food sources and supervising children and pets outdoors to minimize the risk.
Newsweek reached out to @itsbethanymorris for comment via TikTok.
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