Coyotes Spotted Around Oswego, Tips to Keep Safe

Oswego residents are once more reporting coyote sightings around town.

In mid-December a Patch reader reported a coyote attack on a dog that occurred on Treasure Drive. The dog suffered broken ribs and puncture wounds in the attack, but fortunately survived. 

On Sunday, Jan. 12 a Patch reader said he spotted a "huge" coyote run through his backyard in the morning and then down the middle of Barnaby Drive. 

Other readers have reported spotting coyotes on Barnaby Drive, by Old Post Elementary, East View Elementary and in the Ogden Falls subdivision.

Last June a puppy was attacked when a coyote leapt a 4-foot fence, but was scared off by the homeowners. 

If you see a coyote...

Coyotes typically come out at night. If you see a coyote during the day, that's an indication the animal may be bolder and therefore more likely to attack. If you ever find yourself in this situation, the study recommends you yell, wave your arms and try to throw something at the coyote. Never run away!

While coyotes have been known to attack pets, the Cook County Coyote Project says coyotes do not frequently attack dogs, and when they do, they tend to be smaller dogs. Cats, on the other hand, may represent more alluring targets. The vast majority of a coyote's diet is made up of mice and rats.

The Chicago area has seen a significant increase in the coyote population since the 1990s, and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources estimates there are more than 30,000 coyotes in Illinois.

The University of Illinois Extension offers the following tips for living with coyotes — and dealing with any problems that may occur:

• To help protect small children and pets, all possible food for coyotes should be removed from around the homes in yourneighborhood.
• Coyotes are always on the lookout for food. Coyotes are looking for the mice, rabbits and birds that bird feeders and petfood left outside attracts. If you do not want the coyotes near your home, stop feeding other wildlife and leaving pet foodoutside. Make sure ripe fruit is picked and garbage is secured in containers.
• Keep a close eye on small children and pets whenever they are outside and a coyote is in your neighborhood. Consider using a dog run or fence to protect small pets.
• From a distance, try to scare the coyote away by being loud and throwing something or spraying water towards the coyote.
• Alert your neighborhood and the local municipality as soon as a problem develops witha coyote.
• Coyotes are a permanent fixture in Illinois’ rural, suburban and urban areas. Seeing a coyote(s) cross a field, backyard,golf course, road, etc. does not necessarily constitute a problem or  a dangerous situation for  humans or domestic animals. Target the responsible coyote(s) when a pattern of "undesirable” behavior develops. Usually it will be easier to change human and domestic animal use of an area than to capture a coyote.
• Coyote population reduction (removing some or all of the coyotes in an area) is usually unrealistic and always temporary. Removal of coyotes requires time, effort and funding. If removal of a coyote is deemed necessary, hire a person withcoyote removal experience who is licensed by the IDNR. Coyote removals approved by the IDNR usually involve the use of cage (live) traps or padded foot-hold traps.