Rye Brook Implementing Coyote Hazing Program

After two recent coyote attacks in Rye, the neighboring community of Rye Brook is undertaking precautions to ensure residents' safety.

The village announced this week that it will be implementing a coyote hazing program to educate the public and closely monitor its coyote population.

The primary goal of the program also is to reinstate coyotes' natural fear of humans and to periodically reduce the coyote population.

The village said it will track coyote sightings and interactions and start trapping during limited periods. The trapping will begin in August and continue for a month. It will only occur on village-owned properties.

Rye Brook will also work with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other municipalities, such as Rye, Harrison and Mamaroneck, to create a long-term regional plan.  

In the wake of the Rye coyote attacks in June, Rye Brook residents have increasingly reported sightings to police. On July 1, there were six sightings alone. Residents in the neighborhood around Rock Ridge Drive appear to have seen the most coyotes. The neighborhood is located near a water basin, so that is why coyotes may be attracted to the area, residents told Patch recently.

Katherine Ayala, who lives in the neighborhood and has a 2-year-old son, saw two coyotes in her backyard this month, Her husband, Hugo, even created a web page to document the sightings. Ayala recently told Patch that she wished Rye Brook would undertake the same efforts as Rye to address the coyote issue.

"I wish they could be a little more proactive out here," she said.

At Tuesday's Village Board meeting, Rye Brook Mayor Joan Feinsetin said there is very little the village can do to eliminate the coyote population.

"Even though residents have said just get rid of them, the coyotes are here to stay. You cannot eradicate them," Feinstein said, adding that there are about 50,000 coyotes in the state of New York.

Feinstein, who encountered a coyote in her driveway two years ago, said she attended a meeting earlier this month with state and local officials from neighboring municipalities to discuss a long-range plan.

She said Rye Brook's hazing program is based on research and advice given by wildlife experts and state authorities.

She said that the village does have its trapping license, but since it is the trapping offseason, it will be more difficult to catch coyotes. Village officials will meet this week with a trapper to discuss how to proceed with the removal of coyotes, Feinstein said.

Rye Brook will send a reverse 911 notification when trapping efforts begin and will notify residents via email. It will also notify homeowners whose properties are next to areas where traps will be placed.

Feinstein said she urged residents to continue reporting sightings to the police and that the village will do its best to ensure residents' safety. However, residents will have to learn how to coexist with coyotes.

"I don't want to give anyone the impression that it's going to be eradicated at all, because that would be a false impression," she said.