You asked us to survey animal control officers in the towns of East Hartford, East Windsor, Glastonbury, Hebron, Manchester, Marlborough, South Windsor, and Vernon about the incidence of damage by predators, particularly coyotes, to pets and livestock in the past two years.

SUMMARY

East Hartford and South Windsor are the only towns of the eight surveyed in which animal control officers report coyotes killing or injuring pet dogs. In East Hartford there were three recent incidents in which two dogs were killed. A third dog was killed in South Windsor. We have attached newspaper accounts of the attacks that appeared in the Manchester Journal-Inquirer and Hartford Courant. A coyote also killed two or three goats in Glastonbury this year.

Animal control officers in the five other towns we contacted say they know of no similar recent incidents with dogs or livestock. Several have received reports of missing cats. It's often hard to prove coyotes are responsible because cats may disappear for a number of reasons. However, the Marlborough animal control officer says cat owners have seen coyotes near their homes and yards, and he has found traces of cat remains in coyote droppings.

In the past two years there have been bear sightings or possible bear sightings in four of the towns (Glastonbury, Manchester, Marlborough and South Windsor). An East Windsor animal control officer also reports seeing possible bear tracks in that town this summer. There were no reports of bear damage to pets or livestock.

The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) maintains statewide records of reports it receives on coyotes and bears. These numbers may differ from those of local animal control offers because some people may report incidents directly to DEP. We would be glad to also provide you with that information if you wish.

COYOTE-DOG ENCOUNTERS

East Hartford

In early July, a coyote attacked and mauled a small Papillon mix, a dog weighing about 30 pounds. East Hartford animal control officer Robert McCabe says the dog, which was loose, chased after the coyote from its backyard on Arbutus Street through a wooded area that led down to the Hockanum River. Dog owner Janet Russell told the Journal-Inquirer that the coyote chased the dog back to her house. Emergency surgery was performed on the dog, which survived.

McCabe said a Schnauzer died of injuries in late May, two days after being brought to a veterinarian. He said the owner, working in his garage on Chester Street on May 21, left open a gate through which the dog got out at about 2 or 3 a. m. The street runs parallel to a wooden sound barrier erected along I-84. There was no first-hand evidence that a coyote was responsible for the dog's wounds, although McCabe reports the veterinarian thought it highly likely.

The third incident occurred on June 27 on Amato Drive. In that case, McCabe said, a Jack Russell terrier was killed by two coyotes at about 10 a. m. while the dog was tethered on a backyard run.

McCabe believes that some and possibly all three dogs chased the coyotes or instigated the attacks, and speculates that the same coyote family group may have been involved in more than one incident. (Chester Street is about one-quarter mile from Arbutus Street). McCabe notes that coyotes travel in family groups of two adults and several young during the summer, and says the coyotes may have been protecting their young.

South Windsor

According to South Windsor Community Service Officer Robin Massanti, three or four coyotes killed a small American Eskimo dog on Burnham Street in South Windsor on July 14. The dog was already dead when its 14-year-old owner saw the coyotes from his back window at around 9 a. m. The family's home is located in a wooded area

Massanti said that two winters ago, during heavy snows which made foraging for food difficult, a resident who raises cattle for his own consumption reported seeing coyotes among his cows, but did not report any damage. There also were several reports of coyotes going through residents' garbage (although no reports of damage to pets) that same winter. She reported one unconfirmed bear sighting near the East Windsor line last year.

OTHER TOWNS

East Windsor

East Windsor animal control officer John Patsky said he has not received any recent reports of coyote damage. People occasionally report missing cats. Assistant animal control officer David Yoho reported seeing possible bear tracks in July, but no one has reported seeing a bear.

Glastonbury

Glastonbury animal control officer Cathy Kodes reports that a coyote killed two or three goats at a Glastonbury farm this year. The only other incidents Kodes recalls occurred two or three years ago, when a resident reported that coyotes had killed his two pet sheep, and a year or so before that, when someone reported a coyote killing a cat. Kodes said several people reported seeing a young male bear near Spring Street Extension during two or three days in June 2001. There were no reports of damage.

Hebron

Animal Control Officer William Bell says he hears of one or two coyote sightings every couple of weeks, but has heard no reports of damage. He received a report of a small black bear eating cat food left on a porch three or four years ago, but the bear caused no damage.

Manchester

Manchester animal control officer Elyse McConnell said coyotes have been spotted in that town, but that she has not received any reports of coyote damage in more than two years. She said there were three bear sightings last year, but none this year.

Marlborough

According to animal control officer Don Favry coyotes have been taking cats in the past 10 months or so. "There haven't been a lot, but there's been some," he said. Favry says that while no one has witnessed a coyote attacking a cat, he has seen evidence of cat remains in coyote droppings. There have been no incidents with dogs. Favry said he saw a bear about three months ago. There were no reports of damage.

Vernon

Animal Control Officer Craig Segar says some residents blame coyotes for cats that have disappeared, but he has no first-hand knowledge they are to blame. He has not received any reports of bears.

BACKGROUND ON COYOTES

The number of coyotes has been growing in Connecticut in the past 50 years. DEP wildlife biologist Paul Rego, in a 1999 article entitled "Coyotes in Connecticut" (Connecticut Woodlands, vol. 64, No. 1, p. 4) estimated there were then between 3,000 and 5,000 coyotes in the state. He said that was probably the maximum number that could thrive in the state.

Biologists have speculated that the coyotes are filling a niche left vacant by the elimination of wolves in the region, or that they have been attracted by the growth in various prey populations, including deer.

Rego says the northeastern coyote differs so much from the more familiar western coyote that some scientists believe they are distinct subspecies.

Northeastern coyotes are larger and heavier than western coyotes Males typically weigh from 35 to 40 pounds and rarely exceed 50 pounds. (Two of the animal control officers we spoke with, however, report seeing animals weighing 50 pounds). Rego says the increase in size possibly may be attributed to interbreeding with wolves during their eastward expansion through Canada. Northeastern coyotes also vary more in color than western coyotes. Although they are most commonly light brown with dark highlights on the back and light cream underneath, they can vary from blonde to red to charcoal grey. They differ from domestic dogs in always having erect ears, a relatively narrow pointed muzzle and a full, "bottle brush" tail that is carried straight and lowered. They bear litters in April, and the pups remain with both adults until late fall and early winter. They often travel in such family groups during that time.

Rego wrote in 1999 that reports of coyote attacks on cats are common, while attacks on dogs at that time numbered between three and six a year. Rego said in an interview for this report that DEP received reports of 7 coyote attacks on dogs statewide between October 1, 2000 and September 30, 2001. In the previous three years, DEP received an average of eight reports a year of coyote attacks on dogs. (Rego said there may have been more attacks that were not reported to DEP. )

He notes that some coyotes accustomed to living near human habitation, although not usually aggressive, may no longer run off when people try to scare them. Although there may be instances where DEP will remove a dangerously aggressive animal, he said removing coyotes is generally not practical.

PROTECTING HOMES AND PETS FROM COYOTES

To discourage coyotes' presence near houses, Rego recommends frightening coyotes with loud noises or placing unnatural odors (such as deodorant soap) along their usual travel routes; not leaving food outside (including pet food, table scraps placed on compost piles, and fallen fruit); removing vegetation that could provide cover; and using yard lights with motion detectors. He recommends keeping pets in fenced areas, supervising them while they are outside, and limiting the amount of time they spend out at dusk, dawn and at night, when coyotes are most active.

PF: ts