GREENWICH, CT — First Selectman Fred Camillo is warning residents about recent encounters with coyotes in town.Camillo, a noted animal lover, is urging residents to keep their pets on leashes and be aware of their surroundings."This is an issue in several areas of Town, and most recently in my own neighborhood, where a resident recently had to scare off an aggressive Coyote," Camillo ...
GREENWICH, CT — First Selectman Fred Camillo is warning residents about recent encounters with coyotes in town.
Camillo, a noted animal lover, is urging residents to keep their pets on leashes and be aware of their surroundings.
"This is an issue in several areas of Town, and most recently in my own neighborhood, where a resident recently had to scare off an aggressive Coyote," Camillo wrote this week in a Facebook post. "Whether protecting their babies, or just a result of a diminished food sources for them, they seem to be more aggressive this year... The Florence Rd/MacArthur Drive area seems a particularly active area for them."
Greenwich Animal Control is aware of the recent sightings and has been in touch with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT-DEEP), Camillo added.
According to CT-DEEP, coyotes were first reported in Connecticut in the mid-1950s. The species has adapted to human-disturbed environments and can thrive near populated areas.
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"Coyotes are opportunistic and use a variety of habitats, including developed areas like wooded suburbs, parks, beach fronts, and office parks," CT-DEEP says on its website. "Their ability to survive and take advantage of food sources found in and around these 'man-made' habitats has resulted in an increase in coyote sightings and related conflicts."
A coyote's diet consists of mostly mice, woodchucks, squirrels, rabbits, turkeys, deer, some fruits, carrion, and when available, garbage, and they will also prey on livestock and poultry.
"Reports of coyotes attacking and sometimes killing pets have continued over the last decade. Unsupervised pets, particularly outdoor cats and dogs, can be vulnerable to coyote attacks," CT-DEEP noted.
Coyotes mate in late January and into February, with whelping of five to seven pups occurring in April.
"Coyotes are known to become more aggressive around these core areas, which they vigorously defend against resident dogs while also exhibiting increasingly bold behavior around people. Territorial coyotes may aggressively approach and threaten or attack dogs of all sizes, not just small dogs weighing less than 25 lbs," CT-DEEP said.
CT-DEEP offered several safety tips to residents. Click here for more information.