Coyote Sightings Reported Across Fairfield In Recent Weeks

FAIRFIELD, CT — A Fairfield resident recently captured a coyote on video out for a morning stroll through a backyard.

In the recording, the animal howls a few times before walking briskly across the yard, which is near a wooded area. Fairfield resident Doreen Battimelli shared an image from the video, taken Feb. 11 near Towne House and Tanglewood roads, in a neighbor post on Patch, and then emailed Patch the footage.

“February and March are notorious for issues with coyote as I believe it is their mating season,” Battimelli said in the post. “Please protect your pets.”

Fairfield Animal Control Officer Paul Miller confirmed mating season for the animals is underway, and that residents should not let their dogs outside alone, especially at night.

“Coyotes have been in town for over 30 years,” Miller said. “It is mating season, so coyotes are going to be a little bit active right now.”

As of Feb. 23, the animals had also been reported within the previous month in the areas of Sasco Hill Road, Sasco Hill Terrace, Cornell Road, Galloping Hill Road, White Oak Road and Romanock Place, according to Miller.

“Coyotes are vocal and that’s how they communicate,” Miller said, adding that when a coyote howls, the animal is asking others to stay away. “They’re territorial, especially this time of year.”

Battimelli identified the animal in the video as a coydog — the offspring of a dog and a coyote. However, both Miller and Chris Vann, a biologist with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Wildlife Division, said the animal was a coyote.

While it is possible for coyotes to breed with dogs, Miller said most coyotes choose not to do so, and Vann said he had not heard of any coydogs in Connecticut during his several decades working for the state.

Coyotes eat rodents and small mammals, and can be attracted to birdseed and compost, but are typically deterred by a human presence, Miller said. Any residents who see a coyote are asked to report the sighting to Animal Control at 203-254-4857. In cases of immediate danger, residents should contact police.