WPCNR SOUTH END TIMES. From a White Plains CitizeNetReporter. May 31, 2012, UPDATED JUNE 3, 2012:
A correspondent advises WPCNR that a coyote has been spotted lurking “numerous times” by a number of residents in the vicinity of French American School of New York Ridgeway property and North Street during the last two weeks. Another reader writes WPCNR Sunday: “I spotted a coyote last Monday morning (Memorial Day) at 12:15 AM on Anderson Hill Rd in Harrison.”
Have you seen an animal of this description?
Typical Coyote well-groomed. (Stock Photo)
The correspondent says that on this past Sunday afternoon, in broad daylight, it attacked her neighbor’s dog, who called the police.
Residents should be aware not to leave pets or children unattended in the yards and be aware of the possibility that the coyote or coyote(s) may be encountered on evening walks.
Coyotes have been reported now in the county for the last five years. The last reported attack of a coyote occurred in April 2010 in Rye when a poodle tied to a stake in a yard was killed by a Coyote.
Here are some tips on how to avoid being a house of interest to coyotes:
Coyotes have a very broad range of adaptation. They are seen traveling alone, in pairs, and in packs. Their very broad diet allows them to survive in many different territories. At the present times coyotes are more afraid of humans then we are of them. Some cases have shown coyotes becoming more brave and aggressive towards humans. Cases such as people feeding these animals give the coyote a sense of trust that through adaptation will be bad in the future. They have been known to become less afraid and more aggressive toward humans. Coyotes use urine to mark their territories and have a variety of calls which help defend their territory as well as strengthen bonds and communication.
Coyotes have a keen sense of sight, smell, and hearing, which allow them to survive in many different areas. Food is what makes the coyote’s habitat. Wherever the food is, is where the coyote needs to be. They can occupy a range of up to twelve miles. Although coyotes dig their own dens, they have been known to burrow out small fox and badger holes. They are also found in small mountain crevices. These dens are only used for tending to the young the rest of the year these dens are abandoned.
A coyotes’ main diet consists of mice, rats, insects, rabbits, etc. They are known to hunt day and night, either alone or in packs. Coyotes will occasionally hunt larger animals but not alone. They have also been known to eat out of open garbage cans and whatever humans feed them. So keep your garbage cans covered and do not encourage them with food.
Preventing Coyotes
There are a few things that can help prevent coyote occurrences. First of all keep all pets and pet food and their water indoors or in a secured kennel if you live in an area that is suspected of or is known to be in this wild animal’s foraging range. Try to avoid feeding wild cats as they are part of the diet of a coyote as well as the food you feed the cats. Minimize your ground cover of vegetation and pick up any fallen fruit from fruit trees within the area.
Coyote will feed on a wide variety of foods and have also been seen feeding on carrion. This diet can make them your ally or a liability. It is not rare at all to find up to a dozen rodents in the stomach of a coyote. Once natural food sources in a given area have been depleted, lone animals or those belonging to a pack will move on to better hunting grounds – but usually return at a later date. If an animal controls rodent populations, it can be welcomed on the property.
Only when coyote become a danger or otherwise become a pest are they considered to be nuisance wildlife to be controlled.
