PHOTOS: Coyotes make a den in a wall, turn neighborhood into their territory

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - Concerned residents in a Las Vegas Valley neighborhood reached out to FOX5 about their concerning new neighbors: a pack of coyotes that has turned a wall into their home, and their community into their daily stomping grounds.

There are two holes along a wall facing the flood wash, located north of Pyle Avenue and east of Gilespie Street. There is a hole between two walls, allowing coyotes to have a den for multiple family members.

Since the coyote family moved in about two months ago, the animals are often seen in the morning and at dusk. Neighbors even encounter them on daily walks. Neighborhood cats have gone missing.

Doug Swift sees the holes and the coyotes from his yard. He shared with FOX5 photos of coyotes coming in and out of the holes.

"They have no fear. They'll come out, they'll stand 10 yards away while I'm working out here, and I'll throw rocks at them. They come closer. I think they think somebody's feeding them," he said. Swift put up additional fencing on top of his brick wall to prevent coyotes from jumping into his yard.

"The hole is a perfect den for them. It's well protected, it's and it's a perfect hunting ground. They have the wash, which is a 'superhighway' through the whole city," Swift said.

Who can patch up the holes?

A county spokesperson called the entire wall structure "private property" and, therefore, responsibility of a property owner or HOA.

Swift's HOA tells FOX5, in their research on the County Assessor's website, the outer wall falls onto county property.

Swift filed a "Fix It" complaint through the county website, and a representative told him that Public Works will take a look at the issue.

Residents also called the Nevada Department of Wildlife to remove the coyotes.

"Except in cases where there is a bona fide public safety threat – and coyote bites are rare - removing coyotes is a last measure. Relocation is never an option. These animals are a rabies vector and highly territorial. If the decision is made to remove a coyote, the animal will be euthanized," NDOW spokesperson Doug Nielsen emailed to FOX5.

Nielsen said that residents can hire a pest control company to remove the coyotes, since they are considered a varmint.