Two coyotes terrorized children near their school in Howie Centre in late April. (CBC)

A trapper will try to catch two coyotes that scared children near their school in the Sydney area late last month.

Terry Power, a wildlife biologist with the Department of Natural Resources, said six children were playing in the woods behind Mountainview Elementary School in Howie Centre on April 28 when the animals followed them.

"As they moved away from the animals, the coyotes followed them and at least one child threw a rock and hit a tree near the coyotes. But, that didn't seem to make much difference," Power said "So, ultimately, the coyotes followed the children out of the woods."

Natural Resources personnel interviewed the children, between the ages of seven and 13, before the decision was made to trap the coyotes, he said.

Power said the traps have been placed in the Meadows Brook area behind the school. Local residents are being asked to keep their pets out of the area for the next few weeks.

In October 2010, the province introduced a bounty on coyotes, a year after a 19-year-old folk singer from Toronto died after being attacked by two coyotes in Cape Breton Highlands National Park.