Coyotes Are More Apt to Attack in Early Spring

One night last week, a Woodbridge family let their pet Chihuahua out in the backyard just before bedtime, but the dog never came back.

The pet owner told Officer Karen Lombardi that he let the pet out, heard some yelping and the dog never returned. Her fear is that the dog was attacked by coyotes, a situation that’s becoming more common locally.

“Coyotes are denning at this time of year and getting ready to birth their young, so that makes it a little more critical to keep small animals safe,” Lombardi says. This time of year, coyotes are even more protective than usual and they tend to eat more in order to bulk up.

“People shouldn’t let their small animals out at night—dusk to dawn,” she advises.  “Electric fences don’t protect against coyotes.” Small animals should be leashed and walked during the dark hours.

The State of Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection offers advice to be taken seriously in areas such as our wooded area, where there have been an increasing number of coyote sightings.

The incident last week where the pet is believed attacked by coyotes was near Rimmon Road in Woodbridge. Lombardi says she was in the same area on Monday speaking with a woman who has two coyotes in her yard. They’re also often spotted in the area of Johnson Rd., near the water company property on the Woodbridge/Orange border.

“Don’t panic, just practice careful care of your animals,” Lombardi says. Woodbridge Animal Control, per Department of Environmental Protection, will not come and take the coyotes away or shoot them, as has been requested many times in the past.

Though smaller animals are more at risk of falling prey to a coyote attack, owners of larger animals should also be careful.

Anyone with questions can call Woodbridge Animal Control at 203-389-5991.