Tonawanda, NY (WBEN) - It may surprise you that the Town of Tonawanda is issuing an alert for coyotes in the community. Supervisor Joe Emminger tells WBEN the weather has displaced some coyotes from their dens and they're now meandering in the town.
Emminger says coyotes can go as far as 20 miles from their usual home when they're displaced. "We were not as badly hit by the storm over the last week or two, but parts of the southern tier and southern Erie County were and that's within the 20 mile range. So they could have come from there anywhere in between," says Emminger. He notes coyotes are spotted along railroad tracks.
Emminger says there's another reason. "This time of year is also their mating season. So between the weather, and the mating season being here. I think that brought them out and brought them up into Tonawanda," says Emminger.
Emminger says while coyotes are afraid of humans, it's still a good idea to stay away from them. "They are more scared of humans than we are led to believe, so they're scared of us," says Emminger. It's not the same for small animals. "If you take your dog out for a walk, we would encourage you to take a metal can, fill it up with nuts and bolts or coins. If you see one on the other side of the street, or something, just just juggle them juggle the can and make some noise," explains Emminger.
Emminger says coyotes eat rodents and rabbits. "If you have a small dog, they cannot tell the difference. The coyotes cannot tell the difference between a rabbit and a small dog. So you got to be careful, they can jump fences," warns Emminger.
When will the coyotes return to their natural habitat? "We don't know when they're going to be going away. We'd hoped it'd be much sooner rather than later. The warm weather that we're experiencing this week could drive them back to their home," hopes Emminger.
