Coyote Sighting Closes Detroit Zoo Temporarily

DETROIT, MI — The Detroit Zoo was temporarily closed Monday after a coyote was spotted on the grounds. The coyote had not been seen or caught as of late morning, zoo officials said. The sighting came just as school children were starting to arrive for field trips.

"Every now and then, these things happen," said Detroit Zoo spokesperson Patricia Janeway, told the Detroit Free Press. She stray wildlife showing up at the zoo isn’t a new problem. Janeway noted that skunks, foxes and raccoons and even deer have been seen on the grounds, and have caused temporary closures.

No injuries were reported. Early to mid spring coyote sightings are not uncommon, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources said last month. While humans aren’t generally at risk, small animals can be. A Canton dog was killed and another injured in a coyote attack.

According to the Humane Society, coyote attacks on people are very rare. More people are killed by errant golf balls and flying champagne corks each year than are bitten by coyotes, the organization states on its website, the Free Press reported.

"Often, coyote attacks are preventable by modifying human behavior and educating people about ways to prevent habituation,” the Human society stated, the newspaper reported.. “In many human attack incidents, it turns out that the offending coyote was being fed by people. In many other instances, people were bitten while trying to rescue their free-roaming pet from a coyote attack. Less often, people are bitten by cornered coyotes, or even more rarely, rabid coyotes."

According to the MDNR, this is the time of year when people are likely to see and hear them. "That’s why we wanted to give people a reminder," Hannah Schauer, a wildlife technician with the DNR told the Detroit Free Press. "It is breeding season, so they are much more visible right now, more vocal, moving around. Some people might not have realized they are living in the area.”

The state doesn't track coyote numbers but they are everywhere in Michigan, Schauer told the newspaper. Coyote’s breeding season typically lasts through the end of the March. Females give birth to about five to seven pups, usually from March through the beginning of June, the Free Press reported.

"We’re going to have more overlap between coyote habitat and human habitat, so to speak, because they are so adaptable," Schauer told the newspaper. "They can easily survive in suburban and urban environments. If there is good habitat, they can quickly populate an area.”

To minimize risks, the DNR recommends people should remove food sources such as trash bins, bird feeders and pet food and by fencing off gardens and fruit trees. Schauer told the Free Press people who see coyotes around their property should drive them off by yelling, clapping or by making lots of noise such as banging on pots and pans.

Photo by Kate Renkes via Flickr Commons