Ross Coyote Problem Resurfacing?

ROSS TOWNSHIP, PA - Danielle Stockey-Knochel’s dogs sensed the intruder. She said they started “going crazy” at 6 a.m. Friday.

When Stockey-Knochel looked out of the window of her home just off Ivorty Avenue near the bus garage, she immediately understood why. A coyote was roaming around in her yard.

“This is the first one I’ve seen,” Stockey-Knochel told Patch. “But the couple across the street saw one last week and their dog chased it away. They came to let us know because we have smaller dogs.”

This isn’t the first time coyote sightings have prompted unease in Ross. Three years ago, residents complained to township commissioners about coyote issues near Ross Park Mall. They were concerned that the animals might attack small children or pets.

Commissioners invited a Pennsylvania Game Commission official to speak. He said there was little that could be done to keep coyotes out of township neighborhoods.

Roaming coyotes hardly are exclusive to Ross. A wild coyote was captured last month is south Philadelphia, BillyPenn reported. Officials there said the animals survive by feeding on trash.

Reaction to Stockey-Knochel’s Facebook post about the coyotes indicates her experience was not an isolated incident.

“We saw one just feet away in the small cemetery on Jacks Run Road,” Nancy Cavanaugh Bishop wrote. “He didn’t even acknowledge us, I’m sure they’re looking for food. Keep a watchful eye on smaller dogs and cats.”

Photo via Danielle Stockey-Knochel. Used with permission.

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