New Castle Residents Seek Answers to Coyote Threat

By Megan Wong

Apprehension, uncertainty and anger ran high among concerned New Castle residents at Wednesday night’s forum to discuss the escalating threat of coyotes in the area.

A standing-room-only crowd gathered at the New Castle Community Center in Chappaqua on May 29 hoping to hear how they can put the recent rash of coyote attacks on pets in town to an end. As many as three separate incidents of coyotes attacking dogs, resulting in pet injuries or fatalities, were reported in a three-week span last month.

Two experts, Frank Vincente of the advocacy group Save Wild Dogs and Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) biologist Kevin Clarke, spoke to residents about coyote behavior and suggested tips for reducing interactions between coyotes, pets and pet owners.

Vincente said his primary goal is to educate the public on wild dogs, their behavior patterns and reactions to domesticated canines.

“Coyotes are dogs,” Vincente told the audience. “They view other dogs territorially and react aggressively to protect their territory against what they perceive as a threat from your pet.”

Vincente, who acknowledged that his advocacy of peaceful co-existence with coyotes might not be well received, has studied the animal for many years and believes in non-lethal control options. Among those strategies are “hazing,” where humans aggressively confront coyotes by throwing rocks or sticks at them, hosing them with water or making loud noises such as yelling or blowing an air horn.

Hazing programs have worked well elsewhere in the country where coyotes have encroached on human living space, Vincente said.

“Coyotes can learn to avoid humans if we consistently and assertively use hazing techniques,” he said.

Hunting, trapping and removal of the wild dogs is largely ineffective because they have established themselves in large numbers in hospitable suburban green spaces, Vincente added.

He emphasized that appropriate human behavior was the best method in deterring aggressive behavior.

“It’s all about being a responsible dog owner,” Vincente maintained. “If dogs, particularly small dogs, are left out alone in the yard, they will be attacked by coyotes, either because they are maintaining what they see as their territory or to protect dens of coyote pups nearby.”

Clarke agreed with Vincente about hazing techniques.

“Hazing needs to occur at all times,” Clarke said. “Do not tolerate a coyote’s presence any time you are there. Make it feel threatened, fearful.”

Clarke told the roughly 150 residents who attended the meeting that coyotes are extremely adaptable, a key reason why they flourish in Westchester. They take advantage of the abundant food sources, such as mice, rabbits, moles, fawns and geese and even road kill. Humans unwittingly provide additional food supplies through birdseed in feeders and improperly covering garbage.

The area is also a suitable environment for many forms of wildlife with its abundant wooded areas.

“Coyotes are highly opportunistic mammals,” he said.

Clarke said an assertive human presence and taking precautions with pets “are critical in discouraging negative coyote/human interactions.” He strongly recommended that dogs should never be left outdoors alone. Additionally, dog owners should use a short leash when walking their pets in order to keep them closer.

The DEC will provide permits to remove a threatening animal that has injured a pet or presents a danger to humans, but it is an imperfect control method, Clarke said.

“You can never guarantee that you got the particular offending animal, within the large coyote population in Westchester County,” he said. “Coyotes are here to stay. We can’t eliminate them from the landscape.”

Clarke said the DEC doesn’t have statistics regarding the number of coyote attacks since many reports are filed with various agencies. He acknowledged it is hard to conclude if there has been an increase in the number of incidents or a change in coyote behavior.

Many residents at the forum said they were distressed at the lack of notification from New Castle police following the first attack on May 5, and demanded to know why information was not dispensed to the public more effectively.

Police Chief Charles Ferry said the department takes these incidents “very seriously” and that a Nixle alert, a police notification system used to inform the public, had been sent out after the second attack on May 13. The alerts, however, are not necessarily issued for every incident.

By the end of the evening there was general consensus that communication between residents, local law enforcement and the DEC is critical. There was a also a suggestion to create a local task force, which could develop a public notification system using social media platforms to educate the community about coyote hazing and other preventative measures.

Clarke added that the DEC is willing to work with local governments and citizens in reporting coyote sightings and attacks. With coordination, the DEC will be better able to target “renegade” coyotes that may need to be removed and to identify centers of aggressive activity.

If there is a coyote sighting or incident, residents should immediately contact their local police department and can follow up by calling DEC’s Region 3 Wildlife office at 845-256-3098. More information from the DEC and Save Wild Dogs will soon be posted on New Castle’s town website at www.mynewcastle.org.