State wildlife officials are warning of less-than-friendly coyotes around the Denver area this month and next as the animals enter their breeding season.
“As coyotes pair up to breed, they may be more territorial than usual and defend their space as they carve out a place to have their young,” Colorado Parks and Wildlife said in a news release this week. “Citizens are well-advised to be aware of their presence and the potential for conflicts with humans in metro and rural areas.”
During this time last year, CPW says it received reports of a young Centennial girl being nipped by a coyote, an aggressive coyote approaching a grandmother walking her grandson in Aurora and four separate encounter with a mangy coyote baring its teeth in Lakewood.
Similar reports have been gathered recently.
“In addition to transferring disease, unfortunately, coyotes can see our pets as a prey source, so pet owners need to be extra diligent about protecting their animals,” Liza Hunholz, area wildlife manager for Denver, said in a written statement. “We hate to see citizens lose their pets to wildlife, but wildlife can’t tell the difference between your dog and a skunk, raccoon, or other wild prey.”
The omnivorous animals eat everything from bird seed to rodents, berries to garbage, and sometimes free-roaming cats and dogs, CPW says.
For more information on coyotes, residents can visit: http://cpw.state.co.us/learn/Pages/LivingwithWildlifeCoyote.aspx
