Coyote attacks on pets have occurred in CT. Here’s how to prevent them.
Coyote sightings in Connecticut have been on the rise in recent weeks, a trend environmental officials say falls in line with the end of their mating season and is to be expected each April.
“We do get reports of them every year, especially this time of year because right now the mated pair has their pups and the pups are now big enough to start emerging from the den,” said Geoffrey Krukar, a wildlife biologist with the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
Most recently, police in Westport said they have received several reports of coyotes attacking dogs. None of the attacks were reportedly fatal, police said in a statement earlier this week.
According to Krukar, coyotes have been found in every city and town throughout the state. This time of year, he said DEEP receives numerous reports of the animals being sighted, especially in suburban areas where someone might not expect to find them.
“They’re a species that can do well near human settlements,” Krukar said. “They’re pretty adaptable. They’re a species that does well in a huge variety of habitats.”
Many people who report seeing coyotes have safety concerns about themselves or their pets.
Environmental officials recommend taking dogs out on a leash, as an attack is much less likely when a human is present.
“It’s extremely rare for a coyote to go after a human being,” Krukar said.
Most encounters involving dogs stem from a coyote seeing them as a threat to their pups. Oftentimes, a coyote will follow a dog and walk parallel to their path to essentially “escort” them away from the territory where the coyote’s family is, Krukar said.
In instances involving small dogs or cats, a coyote can look at them as a food source and attack.
According to DEEP, their diet consists predominantly of mice, woodchucks, squirrels, rabbits, deer, some fruits, carrion and, when available, garbage. But some coyotes will also prey on small livestock, poultry and small pets.
Landowners looking to rid themselves of coyotes either need to do it before they establish a den for mating season in late February or early March or wait until after their pups are born and have grown enough to relocate, which is generally around mid to late April.
To get rid of coyotes, Krukar said they need to “feel like it’s an unwelcoming area.” He recommends spraying them with a hose, yelling, blasting an air horn or throwing golf balls or tennis balls in their area.
“And they will actually relocate dens,” he said.
Many people unknowingly have a coyote den under their shed, deck or similar structure and only become aware of it around this time of year when the pups start to emerge.
Landowners can take steps to prevent coyotes from establishing a den on their property by removing things like outdoor pet food or birdseed, which can attract rodents that coyotes will feast on. Once a den has been vacated, Krukar recommends filling it in and blocking it off, as they often will be reused in the upcoming mating season.
Though DEEP does not keep statistics on the coyote population in Connecticut, Krukar said it “seems to be a pretty stable population.”
“I don’t know that it’s increasing,” he said. “It definitely doesn’t seem to be decreasing.”
According to DEEP, coyotes migrated to the Northeast from the western plains and the midwestern part of the country. They were first reported in Connecticut in the 1950s and are generally larger than their Western counterparts, as it is believed that they cross-breeded with Canadian gray wolves at some point.
Though some people don’t mind their presence, Krukar said it is both dangerous and illegal in Connecticut to feed coyotes. It attracts the animals and can lead to “begging” behavior that can include an animal becoming aggressive and start “nipping” to ask for food.
“Those animals have to be removed from the population because they’re dangerous,” Krukar said.