ONTARIO — Ontario Mayor Randy Hutchinson warned residents to be on the lookout after receiving two separate reports of coyotes attacking small dogs in the city earlier this month.
Other members of council also expressed concern at a council meeting Aug. 4.
“They’ve been in the neighborhood by Red Lobster for a lot of years,” said at-large councilman Ken Earhart. “They’ll stay in the same routine as long as there’s food.”
Coyotes are usually most active at dawn and dusk, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). The animals are common throughout Ohio’s 88 counties in both rural and urban settings. There are no wild wolves living in Ohio.
Matt Volz, a hunter and trapper, said he has noticed an increase in the number of coyotes in the area over the past four to five years.
“I’ve had multiple calls for years in the city of Ontario and in the surrounding area,” he said. “I actually reached out to the city of Ontario because I had a resident call me who had a yorkie killed.”
Coyotes are considered nuisance animals and thus can be hunted year-round under Ohio law. Each municipality has its own rules surrounding wildlife management; gun hunting is often not permitted within city limits.
This is the case in Ontario, but Hutchinson said property owners can sign a form that permits licensed hunters to set up traps on their property.
Coyotes are highly adaptable animals that can thrive even in urban environments, according to the ODNR. In the wild, their diet consists of small mammals, vegetables, nuts and carrion. Farmers occasionally deal with coyotes going after livestock.
In urban areas, coyotes may search for food in garbage bins. Unattended pets have also fallen victim to a hungry coyote.
Volz said this is more common in the spring and summer, when young pups start dispersing to scout out a territory of their own.
“Your yorkie, your cat, your whatever — that’s just a snack for the road kind of deal,” he said.
Nevertheless, seeing the occasional coyote in your yard or neighborhood doesn’t necessarily indicate a problem, Richland County Wildlife Officer Nathan Kauffman said.
“Coyotes are like most wild animals where if they see a human, they’re going to kind of go in the opposite direction or continue on their path and keep doing what they’re doing,” he said. “The odds of them encountering and attacking a human are very slim.”
If a coyote enters your property, Kauffman recommends trying to scare it off with noise. The Urban Coyote Research Project offers similar advice.
“People should be encouraged to act aggressively toward coyotes during negative encounters, to re-instill a fear of humans in coyotes. In many cases, this involves shouting, waving, or clapping hands and looking as tall as possible,” the website states.
Residents concerned about the presence of coyotes should also remove any potential food sources from their yard, including trash and pet food.
If coyotes persist in visiting a yard or neighborhood and exhibit little fear of humans, it may be time to call a trapper or wildlife authority. Coyote attacks are rare, but they can happen.
But first, take a good look and make sure it is, in fact, a coyote. Some dog breeds, like German Shepherds, can be mistaken for coyotes.
Coyotes are typically slender and resemble medium-sized dogs. Most are gray, though some can have rusty, brown or off-white coloration.
“Adults coyotes are about 40 pounds, a lot of them are grayish in color and they’re going to have a black tip on their tail,” Kauffman said.
To reach Officer Kaufmann, call the Wildlife District Two Headquarters in Findlay at 419-424-5000. Reports can remain anonymous. To reach Volz, call 419-631-5454.
