Town official says two coyotes removed after sea-turtle predation at Sam Spit

The town’s moderator explained that after multiple overnight incidents in which coyotes attacked sea turtles at Sam Spit, he authorized lethal removal under the town’s Coyote Management Plan.

“I authorized and directed, the kind of deemed those to be nuisance coyotes and directed … the lethal removal of the nuisance coyotes,” the moderator said, describing coordination with South Carolina Department of Natural Resources staff and a contracted wildlife team. He said the initial operation occurred Sunday evening and removed two coyotes; a follow-up management effort was scheduled for the following Thursday.

The moderator said staff did not know precisely how many animals were involved but that the operating assumption was those two were the dominant pair in a family unit on the spit. He described past collaring and tracking showing some coyotes move off-island and noted an estimated island population of roughly 12–20 animals.

Asked whether removal meant permanent elimination, the moderator cited state law and the town plan, saying relocation is not appropriate when the behavior appears learned and a public-trust species (sea turtles) is at risk. He added the team would continue monitoring and take additional steps if predation reappears.

The town’s explanation emphasized wildlife safety tradeoffs: sea turtles are endangered while coyotes are not, and the decision reflected concern that the animals had developed non-natural predation behavior. No further predation was reported during the intervention window, the moderator said.

The town did not provide the contractor’s name on the call and did not announce a public reporting timeline for post-operation testing or necropsy results.