Video: Coyote seen digging up grave at California cemetery

(KRON) — A Northern California family came across a grim scene while visiting grandma’s grave for Mother’s Day.

Erin Haley and her kids Ryland and Charlie spotted a coyote digging up a grave at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery near Daly City Saturday morning. Video recorded by the family shows a coyote digging into or on the side of a marked grave.

“We watched the coyote dig for about 10 minutes,” Haley said. “It would stop and look scared anytime a car drove by, but then would start digging again.”

Nexstar's KRON reached out to local wildlife experts to ask why a coyote might dig in a cemetery, and is awaiting a response.

One reason coyotes may dig, according to local animal hospital WildCare, is to create a den for their pups. Sometimes coyotes utilize pre-existing holes and protected areas, like openings under trees or even under a home's porch. Other times, they may dig from scratch.

"The actual den is used only temporarily for the actual birth of the pups and several months thereafter. Then — as with bird nests or our own bassinets —  the young pups outgrow the den, and the family will abandon it to sleep outside, usually in hidden and protected places," coyote expert Janet Kessler writes for WildCare.

KRON also reached out to the Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery but did not immediately heard back.

“I’ve been going to Holy Cross for 25 years and have never seen anything like this,” Haley said.

Coyotes are native to California, according to the state's Department of Fish and Wildlife. The intelligent animals are very adaptive, and are often seen in urban areas like San Francisco.

"They will consume nearly anything, including rodents, rabbits, birds and eggs, reptiles, fruits, and plants, as well as pet food, human food, and trash," Fish and Wildlife says.