West Lake Hills may hire trapper for coyotes in the area

A trapper could be coming to West Lake Hills to catch and kill coyotes believed to be inside the city limits.

On April 11, West Lake Hills City Council unanimously passed a motion authorizing the city to potentially hire a trapper for the coyotes suspected to be in the Rocky River Road and Reveille Road area. A trapper is a specialist who sets and maintains traps that catch wildlife.

West Lake Hills resident Wesley Hook said he has had three coyote-related incidents near his house on Rocky River Road since March. He heard coyotes surround and kill an animal next to his house and saw a coyote run along a creek near his house, he said.

"I would ask that council take action on this, whatever options we have available to us," he said.

A trapper would cost about $200 a day, $1,000 a week or $4,000 a month, City Administrator Robert Wood said. A trapper would likely need about two to three weeks to try to catch the coyotes, he said.

Wood added that there is no guarantee that a trapper would successfully trap all the coyotes in the area, but council members said hiring a trapper was the only realistic option for dealing with the coyotes.