Greenfield Village merino sheep killed by coyote

Greenfield Village says a “wild coyote” attacked and killed a merino sheep at the historic venue in Dearborn.

The village, one of the venues at The Henry Ford in Dearborn, said the mauled sheep was found in the early morning hours on Tuesday.

“To our knowledge, this is the first encounter of its kind,” the village said in a statement.

A spokeswoman for the village said it based its finding that a coyote killed the sheep “due to the nature of its injuries.”

According to the statement, no other animals were harmed, and The Henry Ford “has put additional measures in place to thwart future issues.” Those measures were not identified in the statement.

The statement said The Henry Ford is in contact with city officials in Dearborn and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources regarding the incident and the issue of coyotes “in the greater community.”

A spokesman said the DNR was looking into the matter.

Coyotes are a controversial issue that has now landed before the courts. The Michigan United Conservation Clubs filed suit late last month against the Natural Resources Commission for its recent decision to prohibit coyote hunting from April 16 through July 14. The Michigan Trappers and Predator Callers have also filed suit against the commission in Mackinac County over the hunting ban.

The state had allowed coyote hunting yearround, but the commission’s decision bans hunting at a time when coyote pups are still in the den and at risk of starvation if orphaned.

And just last week, the Dearborn City Council took up the issue of coyotes.