Then in May 2026, two turtles were killed in quick succession on Kiawah’s beach.
Coyotes began colonizing Kiawah Island in 2009. In 2026, a male and female began attacking mother sea turtles as they prepared to nest on the island’s beaches.
Jordan was overseas on vacation, providing input via email, as the town and DNR figured out a plan. DNR asked the town to remove the offending coyotes, and the mayor approved the operation on the Friday before Memorial Day, Belt said.
Before the team could respond to the issue, another loggerhead turtle was discovered on the beach after a coyote attack. It was transported to the South Carolina Aquarium for treatment, but did not survive, Belt said.
Asked about the the turtle sent to the S.C. Aquarium for treatment, a spokesperson declined to comment, referring The Post and Courier to DNR.
On May 24, DNR personnel spent the night on the beach, and killed two coyotes. Since then, no coyote attacks on adult loggerhead sea turtles have been reported, Belt said.
DNR reported that an alpha male and female were the coyotes killing the turtles, and the juvenile coyotes on the island had not managed to learn this new behavior yet, he said.
“Public safety and the protection of threatened wildlife remain top priorities as the agency continues monitoring and response efforts,” Pate said in a statement.
Coyotes on Kiawah
It is not unusual for coyotes to dig up nests and eat sea turtle eggs. Of more than 22,000 sea turtle eggs laid on Kiawah Island beaches in 2025, about 10 percent were eaten by coyotes. The number has increased in recent years, as the coyote population on the island has rebounded.
The number of eggs eaten by coyotes pales in comparison to the situation in the 1960s and 1970s, when racoons would eat over 90 percent of turtle eggs laid on the island, Jordan said.
To prevent coyotes from reaching the eggs, members of the sea turtle patrol, an organization that documents and manages sea turtle nests on the island, place a metal screen over the nest, Jordan said. Coyotes can’t get in, but baby turtles can get out.