ST. LOUIS -- Coyote sightings are becoming more frequent in the St. Louis area, and some are strolling down neighborhood streets and attacking area pets.

St. Louis police tweeted last month that four coyotes were spotted near Willmore Park near the River Des Peres. Police are urging people not to approach or feed coyotes, with the caveat there's no need to dial 911 for sightings of coyotes or any other wildlife, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

"Their water resources are frozen, and food dwindles as winter goes on," said Tom Meister, a St. Louis regional wildlife damage biologist. "They're probably in a stage of the season where they're hungry and out looking for food."

Meister said dogs are also targets of hunting coyotes, and people shouldn't leave their pets unattended outside, especially at night. He recalled a few years ago in Ladue where six people who lived near each other lost small dogs to coyotes.

Florissant resident Lori Freesmeier said a group of five coyotes has been hanging around her house recently, and they're brave. She said the pack walks in the middle of the street and even jumps fences.

"They're almost too comfortable is the best way I can describe it," Freesmeier said.

Coyotes breed in February and March, according to the Missouri Conservation Department. Mothers give birth to four or five puppies about 60 days later. In urban regions, such births can happen in storm drains, under sheds and in parks and golf courses.

This means another spike in sightings could happen in the spring when coyotes are out looking for food.

Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com