{"id":26533,"date":"2018-09-18T08:47:54","date_gmt":"2018-09-18T12:47:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/?p=26533"},"modified":"2018-09-18T08:47:54","modified_gmt":"2018-09-18T12:47:54","slug":"recent-attack-on-deer-prompts-councilwoman-to-remind-public-of-coyotes-in-area","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/recent-attack-on-deer-prompts-councilwoman-to-remind-public-of-coyotes-in-area\/","title":{"rendered":"Recent Attack on Deer Prompts Councilwoman to Remind Public of Coyotes in Area"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A coyote walking through a field (image from NY DEC)<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

JAMESTOWN – A member of the Jamestown City Council<\/strong> is reminding residents to be vigilant against coyotes within the city limits.<\/p>\n

During Monday night\u2019s city council work session, Councilwoman Maria Jones<\/strong> – who also chairs the council’s Public Safety committee – said a city resident had recently shared details about a coyote sightings in Chadakoin Park<\/strong>, including an incident where the wild animals stalked and eventually took down a deer that was also in the area.<\/p>\n

“They saw a deer running out and three coyotes running out behind it. Two of them flanked the deer and the third one circled in front and turned the deer around so it would go back to where it came from. It went out of sight for a minute or two, and then came blasting out of the woods again and there were three more coyotes behind it. In all they took this deer down in about five minutes in the park, and people stood there and watched this play out, like they were watching Animal Planet or something. Of course, the coyotes dragged it off for dinner, I guess. It was pretty spectacular to hear that,” Jones said.<\/p>\n

Councilwoman Jones also shared another story of a resident on 18th<\/sup> street who let their small dog out one evening to relieve itself. The owner heard a yelp and the dog never came back, leading the owner to suspect a coyote had made off with their pet.<\/p>\n

“So the concern is obvious. Now that we have so many deer in the city, more coyotes are coming in, I suppose, to feed on them,” Jones said.<\/p>\n

The issues of coyotes was also discussed in July 2017<\/a> by the city council and at that time, Jamestown police chief Harry Snellings<\/strong> said at that time that there isn\u2019t much the police can do to prevent Coyotes from coming into neighborhoods, but said the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is aware.<\/p>\n

City Councilman Andrew Liuzzo<\/strong> told his colleagues that an increased number of deer permits will be issued by the DEC this upcoming hunting season and perhaps that will help control or reduce the local deer population, which in turn could help keep the local coyote population in check.<\/p>\n

DEC INFORMATION ON COYOTES<\/h3>\n
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An Eastern coyote radio-collared by<\/em>
researchers at DEC and SUNY ESF<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

According to the DEC, the type of coyote found in our area is the eastern coyote, which is firmly established in New York.<\/p>\n

Eastern coyotes look similar to German shepherd dogs, yet are half the weight. Coyotes have long, thick fur. Their tails are full and bushy, usually carried pointing down. Ears are large, erect, and pointed. They are 4 to 5 feet in length from nose to tail and weigh 35 to 45 pounds.<\/p>\n

The Eastern Coyote lives in New York as an integral part of our ecosystems. People and coyotes can usually coexist if the natural fear of people that coyotes have is maintained. Pets and young children are typically most at risk.<\/p>\n

Recommendations<\/h3>\n

Below are steps you should take to reduce and prevent coyote problems from occurring. For additional information see our wildlife damage control<\/a> page.<\/p>\n