Crime & Safety

Mayor: 4 Coyote Sightings in Harrison Since Rye Attacks

Harrison Mayor/Supervisor Joan Walsh said Wednesday that four residents have reported coyote sightings in town since the first of two coyote attacks in nearby Rye last week.

Four coyotes have been sighted in Harrison since a coyote attacked a six-year-old girl in Rye last week, the first of two attacks on young girls less than a mile from the Harrison border.

There were two coyote attacks in Rye in six days, the more recent of which taking place on Tuesday less than half a mile from Harrison. At this time residents in town are urged to be careful while outside, especially near wooded areas.

The most recent sighting in Harrison was reported on Tuesday night. Coyotes have been seen on North Street in Harrison, Harrison Avenue, Avery Court and Muchmore Road.

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The injuries from the coyote attacks in Rye have not been life-threatening, but both girls were taken to the hospital. In the first attack a six-year-old girl was playing in her front yard, in the second, a three-year-old was playing in her backyard when a coyote jumped over a rock that was surrounded by fencing and bit her. Both attacks took place in the evening hours.

Harrison police have been authorized to trap or eliminate coyotes posing an immediate threat, and residents are encouraged to be careful if they allow their children to play outside during the evening and early-morning hours.

Find out what's happening in Harrisonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Coyote sightings are nothing new in the area, but attacks on humans are extremely rare. Nationally, on average, only six people are attacked every year by coyotes. 

Harrison Police Chief Anthony Marraccini said that there has been a decrease in the rabbit and deer population in the area over the last few years, possibly the result of an increased coyote population, but why these coyotes would now attack humans is unknown at this time.

Police have been unable to locate the coyotes responsible for the attacks in Rye, and it is not known if the same animals are responsible for the two separate incidents. Marraccini said that it is possible that the coyotes sighted in Harrison were the same ones that attacked one of the young girls in Rye, but it is impossible to positively identify the animals at this time. Officers are currently working with Rye police and following-up on coyote sightings in town.

"If we have a coyote sighting that we believe could be related to the attacks, the officers are going into the woods to search," said Marraccini, adding that if a coyote appears threatening, or is posing a nuisance, officers have been given the authority to destroy the animal if there are no hazards in the area. 

Police patrol is also more diligent during the evening hours, when both of the attacks in Rye took place, according to Marraccini.

Walsh encourages anyone who sees a coyote to report it, but to make sure and note important information such as size, color and what the coyote was doing. 

A county-owned helicopter was used over the area on Tuesday night, but did not find anything. Since coyotes typically roam in a wide area and usually hide from humans, finding the animals involved in the attack could be difficult.

Although the attacks have raised concern among residents, Walsh reiterated that finding, trapping or even shooting the animals is strictly the responsible of law enforcement and people should not take matters into their own hands, noting that it is illegal to use a firearm in town.

"No, absolutely do not do it yourself," said Walsh. "The police have been authorized by the department of environmental conservation to shoot to kill, they are authorized for that simply because of these attacks."

The long-term coyote issue will likely not be solved by hunting anyway, said Marraccini. Even if the animals responsible for the attacks are found, the potential over-population of coyotes in the area is not a quick-fix.

"I think it's going to have to be an issue that we are going to have to explore," he said. "Once the food population diminishes maybe they will move on."

Harrison is looking into obtaining the services of a professional gamesman, said Marraccini, but the final decision to do so has not been made.

For now, authorities will continue to pursue leads, and a reason for why the animals that have never posed a threat in the past have attacked two girls in such a short amount of time.

"It's absolutely a new issue," said Marraccini. "We have had coyote sightings in the past, we haven't heard of any threatening actions by coyotes, but there absolutely is a potential for it."


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