Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Daytime Prowlers, Nightime Howlers Roam Neighborhoods

From June 9, 2007 Danbury News Times, by Robert Miller

In Danbury, Connecticut, Jean Pawlik saw a coyote on her lawn on as well as a night of wild howling and yipping.
Her neighbors have seen coyotes within 15 feet of their houses and others in the area are hearing the same late-night symphony and seeing coyotes out and about in daylight.
Dale May, director of the Department of Environmental Protection's wildlife division, said Friday that male and female coyotes are now busy providing for their offspring. Coyotes don't have packs, but they do maintain a family unit from spring to fall. They mate in early spring and their pups are born in mid-April or May. While the parents are not strictly monogamous, they can stay together for several years, rearing the pups together. The social group breaks up in the fall, when the pups go off to live on their own.
While people have seen coyotes confront family dogs, May said that's probably more of a territorial face-off than looking for a meal. In general, coyotes are wary of humans.
"Unless a coyote is sick, injured, or aggressive to humans, we don't do anything,'' said Officer Craig Simone of the city's Animal Control Division.

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