Coyote confrontations on rise in dense areas of CT, officials warn

More confrontations with aggressive coyotes in densely populated areas of Connecticut are being reported, including an attempted attack on two dogs in Glastonbury this week, state wildlife and local animal control officials said.

The wild canines are becoming more habituated to humans as they find food near homes, particularly in cities and denser suburbs, state wildlife biologist Geoff Krukar said Thursday. Coyotes are omnivores and will eat garbage and the rodents and rabbits attracted to bird feeders and other backyard fare. They also target food left out for pets.

“Coyotes will eat the pet food, and they'll also eat the cats,” Krukar said.

State wildlife officials have been hearing reports of more bold and aggressive coyotes in 2022, he said, including one in Norwalk that tried to snatch food out of a person's hand.

In Glastonbury, coyotes tried to jump a fence to get to two large dogs in a backyard in the Milestone Drive area, according to a Facebook post by the police department's animal control unit. The dogs were not hurt, but animal control urged people to watch their pets, especially in the early morning and evening when the wild canines are most active. Coyotes typically prey on cats and dogs under 25 pounds, but they also target larger dogs — not as prey, but as competitors for the same food sources, Krukar said.

First reported in the state in the mid-1950s, coyotes are common across Connecticut. Attacks on humans remain rare, but a coyote in the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles this month latched onto a 2-year-old girl's leg and tried to drag her away before her father intervened. That animal was captured and killed near the same area, according to published reports.

In Los Angeles County, there have been at least seven recorded coyote attacks on people this year, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Coyotes can be particularly threatening to humans while protecting pups born in the spring. In 2019, reports of aggressive coyotes forced the closure of the Nature Conservancy's Katharine Ordway Preserve in Weston. Officials said the coyotes likely were denning on the 60-acre preserve.

In March 2021, a man walking his dog in East Hartford reported being chased by an aggressive coyote. The man was walking his pit bull when the coyote started chasing them. Authorities said the man had to run for a while to shake the animal. Coyote aggression can also be fueled by people feeding them, which lessens the animals' fear of humans.

A Massachusetts town recently became the first in that state to contract with the federal government to kill coyotes after residents reported fatal attacks on pets. Local officials said eight to 12 coyotes inhabit Nahant, a densely settled town of about 3,300 people on a peninsula about 15 miles north of Boston. The animals have killed pets, including three that were taken from leashes held by their owners, town administrator Antonio Barletta said.

Workers with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services, using night vision equipment, will hunt the nocturnal animals in parts of town where the shooting won't pose a threat to residents, Barletta said. The decision has drawn criticism from some wildlife advocates, including the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. However, Barletta said coyotes are becoming a threat to dog walkers. The town is also working on a campaign to help residents coexist with coyotes, which will mean cutting off their food sources and preventing them from becoming too comfortable around humans, he said.

The eastern coyote is larger than its western counterpart, according to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection's fact sheet on the animals. Most adults are about 48-60 inches long from nose to tail and weigh between 30 and 50 pounds, with males typically heavier than females.

Connecticut residents can apply to hire a licensed nuisance wildlife control operator to trap and kill coyotes, but the targeted animal must have been aggressive toward people or pets. The state gets more applicants than officials approve because some people are frightened or intolerant of coyotes, Krukar said.

Hunting season on coyotes is year round, except Sundays. In more populated areas, bow hunting is preferable to firearms because there are fewer restrictions, Krukar said.