Runners (the human kind) looking to celebrate National Running Day this past Wednesday with a jaunt on the McDowell Creek Greenway near Birkdale Village were foiled by what animal control officers called a “territorial” coyote.

“Evidently, a mama had little bitty baby coyotes recently,” says Kristin Harris, owner of Fleet Feet Sports in Birkdale Village, a run organizer.

The wily mama, Harris added, apparently didn’t take kindly to having humans — running or otherwise — nearby. Employees of the running store had planned to lead runs on the greenway until the Huntersville Police Department shut down the 1.5-mile section of trail, from Sam Furr to Westmoreland roads. 

Mike Dorcas, a biology professor at Davidson College, says he’s not surprised by the sightings.

“Their numbers have increased in the area in the last 10 years or so,” Dorcas says of the coyotes, which typically weigh 30-40 pounds. “They are extremely adaptable animals and can figure out ways to survive in suburban areas, often without being noticed.”

Even though police closed the greenway as a precaution, coyotes typically mind their own business and pose little threat to humans. “In general, coyotes should not be feared,” Dorcas says. “There have been a few documented attacks on humans, but they are very rare.”

However, he adds, feeding coyotes can eventually cause them to become aggressive, as is the case with other wild animals. Coyotes also can feed on pets and livestock.

Other than that, though, coyotes are pretty much harmless, Dorcas says.

If you see one, he advises, “Just leave it alone but enjoy watching one of nature’s most adaptable animals. ... We have lots of secretive wildlife in the area. Many really cool snakes and amphibians are rarely seen but can live right around us.  We even have black bears wander through the area every now and then.”