Commissioner Connors Briefs Council on Preparations For Coyote Season

The Rye Police Department has started an information campaign to raise public awareness about coyote season. Police Commissioner William Connors discussed the police department’s concerns during a presentation at the Rye City Council meeting last Wednesday; on Thursday the department issued a press release detailing some of the precautions people can take in the event of a coyote encounter.

Here’s some tips from the release:
• If you encounter a coyote, be aggressive. Loud noises and forceful behavior will normally scare the animal away. Wave your arms and throw sticks or stones. Boat horns and pepper spray are considered very effective.
• Do not feed coyotes.
• Do not provide food sources that may attract them, such as outdoor pet food or bird seed.
• Make garbage inaccessible.
• Do not allow pets to run free. Coyotes can see cats or small dogs as prey.
• Small children should be supervised by an adult while outdoors.
• Unusual coyote behavior should be reported to the police so sightings can be recorded and officers dispatched if necessary. Attacks or emergency situations should be reported via 911.

Last summer, the Rye area attracted national attention when by coyotes. Unusually high activity from coyotes was seen across southern Westchester County.

At the council meeting, Commissioner Connors said no unusual activity has been observed to date by the police. The department has obtained a hazing permit that will allow them to disrupt and frighten any coyotes they observe. Connors said officers would use talcum powder and cayenne pepper ammunition to aggravate the animals if necessary.

Commissioner Connors also praised the Nixle alert system and encouraged residents to sign up for the real-time alerts.

“We have found the Nixle service to be an effective and expedient way of informing the community of developments regarding coyotes and other public safety issues,” said Connors. “We urge residents to take advantage of the opportunity to register for email and text message notifications."

A coyote fact sheet is also available on the Rye home page.