In the wake of several recent coyote attacks on dogs in Westport, the Police Department offers this advice to protect pets:
- Supervise your pets while they are in the yard. Coyotes avoid conflict with humans, so your presence should prevent any problems.
- While out at night with your pets, carry a powerful flashlight and keep tabs on your surroundings.
- Coyotes can be successfully driven away using noise (high-decibel whistle or air horn) or thrown objects (balls, sticks, rocks).
- If you are walking a small pet and see a coyote, pick the pet up. Any time you are with your pet and see a coyote, give them a wide berth. You should gradually retreat but maintain situational awareness (keep eyes on), and be assertive and noisy (yelling or using a whistle).
- At home, a fenced enclosure is the best way to prevent unexpected wildlife encounters. Deer fences are designed to keep out deer, but they do a poor job of excluding smaller species like coyotes.
- Motion-sensitive lights can help alert homeowners to wild intruders at night, and help deter coyotes.
- Pets smaller than 30 pounds are at serious risk from coyotes, but coyotes will tussle with larger pets on occasion. Even larger pets will benefit from supervision.
- Remember: Coyotes can be active day or night.
Coyotes are increasingly on the prowl. (Photo/Richard Gabor)
Coyotes are now found throughout North America. They are an adaptable and opportunistic canid. Statistically, they pose very little risk to humans. There have been only 2 recorded fatal attacks by coyotes on humans in the last 100 years in North America. But they do pose a risk to our pets.
Resources include:
- U.S. Navy-issue 130-decibel storm whistle.
- Frontiersman 130-decibel bear horn.
- Mace-brand canine repellent.
For further information, call Westport Animal Control: 203-341-6011.
Pretty sure that is a fox.
Dave Eason beat me to it with the perfect comment… but our neighborhood has seen both foxes and coyotes (looking very different from each other) via a Ring Doorbell in the middle of the night!
Definitely a fox, BUT you did post Richard Gabor’s picture of a coyote in Saturday’s round-up!
I live out on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. The coyote cautions suggested by the Westport PD are needed here, too, but we also have cougars and bears. (No tigers.) The biggest concern for our new puppy, however, is bald eagles. We’ve got at least two that circle the area like Predator drones, and small pet collars have been found in eagle nests.
We are also getting bobcats now. One crossed our back deck 3 nights ago, not the first time. Not sure of their preference for pets but it stands to reason if they are hungry enough, anything is game.
There is definitely a path taken by the bobcats and coyotes we’ve seen in the past year – through your yard into the woods behind Brian’s and then along the backside of our pond and finally over to Roseville. Saw a (big, healthy) coyote/coywolf come through yesterday. We’ve been chaperoning our dog…
That’s a picture of the Post Rd? There are three houses in a row on the Post Rd?
Hi Jack- that looks like the Post Road heading east just past Hills Point Road (think Sakura) on the way down toward Sherwood Island Connector.
And that is Br’er Fox crossing the road looking for Br’er Rabbit! Not Br’er Coyote!
Wild animals will come closer to us as we continue to remove their habitat
It is indeed a fox! I’ve swapped in the photo of an actual coyote, by Richard Gabor. Thank you all!
Now- that looks like Br’er Coyote probably looking for Br’er Fox or Br’er Little Dog maybe to meet up for a little lunch.
And y’all thought the deer were a menace.
Well, the good news, I suppose, is that coyotes go after deer so perhaps they may help control the deer population.