If you live anywhere in the eastern United States, whether in a city, suburbs or rural area, chances are there is a coyote family living near you. These are not the mythical “coy dogs,” a cross between western coyotes and dogs, you may have heard about, they’re a brand new species. The eastern coyote (Canis latrans) is a mixture of wolf, western coyote, dog, and eastern wolf. They were first noticed in the 1930’s and 1940’s in the Great Lakes Region and then spread rapidly to cover all of the eastern US, from Ohio through Virginia.

These animals are normally very secretive, hiding their dens in public parks and forests, sometimes in close proximity to human populations. However, in early spring the yearlings are often expelled from the den and wander the neighborhood looking for mates and new homes, so you might see them on the streets and in the yards of your neighborhood.

Eastern coyotes are not dangerous, although they might take a small pet here and there. However, they are so damn cute and charismatic that there’s a compelling need among a few of us to try to adopt them as feral friends, but DON’T FEED THEM!!! A fed coyote is a dead coyote. By far the worst day of my 5-year tenure supervising NY State’s Wildlife Program for NYC was when my agency was forced to authorize the killing of 12 coyotes whom workers at a nearby facility had adopted. They became habituated to humans and began to approach other people who didn’t find them so cute, but instead found them quite terrifying.

So what should you do if you spot a coyote out in public? Scare it away, it doesn’t belong there. Help it to move on to a more suitable habitat by shouting, banging pots & pans, etc. Next, notify your state wildlife management bureau. You may also want to alert your neighbors and educate them on proper responses. Eastern coyotes are a new and wondrous species of animals that are certainly worthy of celebration and of admiring at a distance. If you are blessed with a coyote family near you, please do your part to help them survive in peace and secrecy.

You can learn more about eastern coyotes and how to live with them at the NY State’s website: https://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/9359.html

You can learn about coyote management in urban areas, specifically New York City by visiting the Gotham Coyote Project at https://www.gothamcoyote.org