Following on an attack in the South Mountain Reservation on June 30, Maplewood Township Nurse Anna Markarova offered tips for fending off coyotes at the monthly town Board of Health meeting on July 5.
“Most of the time, coyotes will not approach you as they are scared of you,” said Markarova; however, she said that coyotes do sometimes see pets as prey.
She noted that waving your arms, throwing a ball or object at the coyote and making loud noises will generally scare them away. Markarova also recommended not keeping or feeding pets outside. See her full recommendations below.
Markarova noted that two people and one dog were attacked on June 30. She said that all were receiving treatment and recovering. (The dog, a shih tzu breed named Luna, lost an eye and has large medical bills that her owner is fundraising to cover.) Markarova had no updates on whether or not the coyote had been identified captured. Essex County has closed a large portion of the Reservation through July 6 as it seeks to capture and euthanize the coyote.
