By Dawn Pearson
For past year in Hamilton County, Wile E. Coyote isn’t only chasing the Road Runner, the coyote has been infiltrating neighborhoods becoming an urban menace.
But in our humane world we can’t drop giant anvils on them to eradicate the problem like in the Looney Tunes cartoons.
From 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 3, the Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources’ Division of Fish and Wildlife and Hamilton County Parks are hosting an informational program regarding coyote biology and options for dealing with urban coyotes. This will be held at the Cool Creek Nature Center, 2000 E. 151st St., Westfield.
Presenters will be Shawn Rossler, DNR furbearer biologist; Nate Yazel, DNR district wildlife biologist for Hamilton County; and Tim Julien, a licensed nuisance animal control operator.
After last year’s harsh winter, much of the coyote’s habitat was disturbed, causing more encroachment in neighborhoods and backyards and threatening small pets. As a result, the DNR and the Hamilton County Parks are providing the free informational program.
Coyotes are a native species once limited to the prairie regions of western Indiana. As forests were cleared for agriculture, coyotes expanded eastward and are now common in all Indiana counties, including urban and suburban areas.
“Places like Fishers and Carmel are growing communities with a lot of green space that gives cover for rabbits and other animals,” said Warren Gartner, DNR conservation education supervisor. “That provides habitat for coyotes as well.”
Urban coyote conflicts are focused on attacks on pets, concern for safety and fear of the unknown.
