People with pets on Milwaukee’s East side are on high alert after several coyotes sightings at Lake Park.
The big problem is the coyotes don’t seem to be easily scared off. In one case, a woman walking her dog said a coyote followed her from Lake Park, crossed the street and even followed up the walkway of a house. She posted her story on the Next Door app, alerting neighbors.
Part of her post reads, “He followed for several minutes, getting closer and closer. I shouted loudly at him to no avail!”
“This is the second time I have been confronted by a coyote in Lake Park,” said the woman.
DNR Wildlife Biologist, Dianne Robinson, said coyotes this time of year are more territorial because they are about to give birth to pups.
“They have a den. They are being more protective of that den area. They will have pups here pretty soon," Robinson said.
Robinson said coyotes are generally nocturnal, but at times they are active during the day. She said sometimes, they aren’t easily scared off. Especially coyotes living in more urban areas like Milwaukee County.
“They are used to hearing people, they are used to seeing people so just, you know, just taking a step towards an animal and yelling at it isn’t necessarily going to be the kind of hazing. It really needs to effective to run off," she said.
“Sometimes that’s just a general curiosity of the animal. They’re not necessarily trying to be aggressive they’re just curious about what’s going on curious about that animal,” Robinson also said.
If you’re walking your dog and spot a coyote and yelling isn’t working, Robinson suggests throwing a stick at the coyote or using an air horn, whistle or water gun to scare them away.
Staff at Milwaukee County Parks are tracking coyote sightings right now. They encourage anyone who has seen one to report it at this link.
