In one West Hollywood neighborhood, an abandoned construction project has taken on an unexpected new role as a coyote den.
Neighbors say the animals now roam the area, get into cat food, and fill the night with howls.
What happened?
KTLA reported that residents near Romaine Street and North Spaulding Avenue in West Hollywood have been dealing with several coyotes that appear to have settled into a long-abandoned unfinished building.
Video posted by the outlet to Instagram showed the animals spread around the site: One was captured resting beside construction materials, while other footage showed two more on the second floor.
Work at the property stopped about four years ago, leaving an incomplete structure that now appears to be sheltering the animals.
Reaction in the neighborhood has varied.
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For some residents, the main concern is that the coyotes move through nearby streets and may threaten small pets. Others have taken a more sympathetic view, saying last year's wildfires may have pushed the animals into the area.
Resident Paddy Fallon told KTLA, "They roam around…they're kind of [scraggly]. … I feel bad because they got displaced by the fires."
Why does it matter?
Animal behavior can be closely tied to human activity, from stalled development projects to shrinking habitat to easy access to pet food and trash.
According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, coyotes are native to California and can live in rural, residential, and urban areas. They are also highly adaptable and will eat "nearly anything," including rodents, fruits, pet food, human food, and trash.
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That adaptability helps coyotes survive, but it can also create tension when they lose their fear of people or begin to associate neighborhoods with food.
That can mean nightly noise, worries about pets, and a neglected property becoming an unofficial wildlife refuge in the middle of a dense neighborhood.
What can I do?
The practical advice in KTLA's report is straightforward: Don't feed coyotes, and don't make food easy for them to access.
That means securing trash or other edible scraps that could draw them in and not leaving pet food outdoors. Residents have also asked city officials to intervene.
Even if people are willing to coexist, an unfinished building near homes can create ongoing issues for both humans and wildlife.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife notes that coyotes can provide ecosystem benefits, including helping control rodent populations.
Resident Paul Manganello offered a more accepting view, telling KTLA, "Most interestingly — and I find this kind of exciting actually — every night around 10 or 11, you start to hear this gang of coyotes howling. It's not the worst thing in the world; it reminds you that you're part of nature."
"I'm pretty sure they would say we took over their home first," one viewer commented on the video.
"I live right next to this place. The problem is less about the coyotes, it's more about the abandoned construction sites," another said.
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