Newark police urge caution after coyote sightings

NEWARK – Newark police are asking residents to take precautions after several reported sightings of coyotes in the last several weeks.

Interim Chief Barry Connell said police have received several calls from the western end of Newark about a reported coyote. One woman reported her small dog had been attacked and taken into a wooded area by two coyotes who entered her yard.

Connell said police officers have been given permission to shoot a coyote if they see one and the situation is safe to do so.

"There's not a lot we can do, but we are aware," he said.

Connell said if a coyote is spotted, residents should call Newark Division of Police dispatchers through the nonemergency line at 740-670-7200. Dealing with a coyote would most likely be a situation a patrol officer would deal with because those officers carry firearms and are on patrol throughout the night.

The woman whose dog was reportedly attacked by a coyote did not want to be identified, but she wanted to share her story in the hope that it might prevent someone else's dog or even child from being attacked.

She said she let her dog, a 17-pound chihuahua, outside in her front yard to go to the bathroom around 11:30 p.m. April 30. Usually, when she let her dog out, she said he would take a few steps into the yard, relieve himself, and then come right back.

But her fiance noticed the dog wasn't coming back to the front door, and when he looked out the window, he spotted two animals in the yard jumping around the dog.

"He walked out the door and starting screaming, and coyote picked him up and took him down the street," the woman said. "He got halfway down the street chasing after them. We tried getting in the car to go look for him but there was no way to catch them. My dog was less than 20 feet from my front door, and he got nailed within seconds."

The woman said she never would have thought to be on the look out for coyotes and wishes there was some way she could have "a do-over" for that night.

Several people have called animal control, but Connell said Newark Animal Control Officer Toby Wills does not carry a firearm, only an electric stun gun, and works primarily during daylight hours.

Coyotes are in their breeding season but are typically wary of humans. Their normal diet includes small mammals such as rabbits and rodents.

Connell said people who normally feed squirrels and birds should stop, at least for a while, so as not to attract unwanted wildlife such as coyotes into the area. Police are asking that residents not feed coyotes or leave food out for them.

While there has not been a documented coyote attack or bite on a human in Ohio to date, Connell said any sick animal could be a risk.

Newark police usually receive a few calls about coyotes during the spring, Connell said. The number of calls were greater in 2011 and 2013, when coyotes were reportedly spotted in several areas.

In October 2013, a coyote was spotted near Stevenson Elementary School in Heath, prompting the school to keep recess inside for several days. When students were allowed back outside for recess, an armed Heath police officer patrolled nearby. That coyote was thought to have been found dead in a nearby field several days later.

Here are some other tips for preventing coyote interactions from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources:

• Remove things that might attract coyotes to keep coming back such as pet food and garbage.

• Keep small dogs and cats inside after nightfall or on a leash and with a human if they need to be let outside.

• Noise and movement can scare coyotes. Installing motion sensor lights and using an air horn if you spot a coyote can make them run away. Shouting and clapping hands can work as well.

• Call a nuisance trapper if the problem persists.

Advocate Reporter Emily Maddern contributed to this story.