Several Coyote Sightings Reported In Last 2 Weeks In Trenton
By Cleve Bryan
TRENTON, N.J., (CBS) -- Steve Price thought his eyes were playing tricks on him last week when he claims a coyote ran past his home in Trenton's Hiltonia section.
"It had just like wiry hair, and it looked like a wolf or a large coyote," says Price
Price says two days ago he saw a coyote again in his neighbor's backyard.
Trenton's animal control department has received eight calls in the last two weeks for coyote sightings.
That's enough to alarm city councilman and former mayor George Muschal.
"Talking to some of the police officers down there, I made contact with them and they said absolutely there are coyotes out there," says Muschal.
New Jersey's Division of Fish and Wildlife says coyotes can grow up to 55 pounds because of inter-breeding with wolves.
They've been sighted in more than 420 municipalities and each year hunters kill between 250-300 coyotes.
Trenton officials say people should careful but not afraid to go outside. They're looking into the sightings and considering a robo-call warning to some neighborhoods if they see a problem.
"Whether they think it's a fox or they think it's a coyote they should always do the same thing which is, be aware of your surroundings. Make sure you don't have children outside if you're seeing an animal," says James Brownlee, director of Trenton's Health and Human Services Department which oversees animal control.
