When "Piano Man" Billy Joel wrote his hit song "MOVIN OUT" IN 2002 which spotlighted Hackensack, New Jersey,,,,, he had no idea that this close-in urbanized suburb of NYC(15 miles from Manhattan) would see Black Bears and Coyotes on its streets in 2011............"Who needs a house out in Hackensack?"...."Is that all you get for your money?"--Billy Joel.........You now get the house and the Coyotes and Bears!!!!! Let us urge our Eastern friends to follow the rules of the road and to learn how to coexist peacefully with "Wild New Jersey"

Coyote sightings put some North Jersey residents on edge

BY MONSY ALVARADO

Coyotes roaming Hackensack and Maywood streets have frightened residents and prompted calls to state officials to relocate the animals.

Jim Gilbert walking his two Great Danes in Hackensack. Gilbert used to walk his dogs in Borg's Woods until coyotes began following him.

New Jersey officials say the state has an estimated 3,000 coyotes.

Residents who live near Borg's Woods nature preserve in Hackensack say they have been seeing the bushy-tailed canines regularly on the street and on private property.

"There's no certainty with these animals," said Hackensack resident Anne Picogna of Brook Street, who said that a coyote began to follow her while she was running on Summit Avenue about two months ago.

Tips on keeping coyotes away

• Never feed a coyote, because it places pets and other residents in the neighborhood at risk.
• Feeding pet cats or feral cats outdoors can attract coyotes. The coyotes feed on the pet food and also prey upon the cats.
• Place garbage in tightly closed containers that cannot be tipped over.
• Remove sources of water, especially in dry climates.
• Bring pets in at night.
• Put away bird feeders at night to avoid attracting rodents and other coyote prey.
• Although extremely rare, coyotes have been known to attack humans. Parents should monitor their children, even in familiar surroundings, such as back yards.
• Install motion-sensitive lighting around the house.
• Clear brush and dense weeds from around dwellings — this reduces protective cover for coyotes and makes the area less attractive to rodents and rabbits.
• If coyotes are present, make sure they know they're not welcome. Make loud noises, blast a canned air siren, throw rocks, or spray them with a garden hose.

Source: N.J. DEP Division of Fish and Wildlife

State officials only relocate coyotes when they become aggressive and will not take action in Hackensack or Maywood at this time, said Larry Hajna, spokesman for the Department of Environmental Protection. He said residents can call the state Division of Fish & Wildlife with their concerns, but that coyotes are usually not hostile "If they were a threat in any way, they would be relocated, but by and large, coyotes are shy and reclusive and do not pose a threat," he said.

New Jersey has an estimated 3,000 coyotes, and they have been spotted in all counties, Hajna said. Sightings have also been reported in urban areas across the country, including Manhattan in the past year.

There haven't been reports of coyotes attacking humans in New Jersey since 2007, when a boy was bitten in Middletown, but last year a coyote was reportedly responsible for biting and scratching two children in Rye, N.Y.

The state's Division of Fish & Wildlife website says the coyote was never introduced or stocked in New Jersey, but has "firmly established itself in the state through its extremely adaptable nature." Coyotes, the site says, adjust well to their surroundings and can survive on whatever food is available. They prey on rabbits, mice, birds and other small animals, as well as young and weakened deer, according to the state website.

In Hackensack, Brook Street homeowners blame the coyotes for the declining number of skunks, wild turkeys, raccoons and squirrels scurrying in their neighborhood.--they are doing their job effectively--blogger Rick

Myrna Gotrell, who moved into her house 13 years ago, said she has seen coyotes walk from her front yard to her unfenced back yard, which abuts a wooded private property. Three years ago, when the coyote sightings were first reported, she said she stopped letting her three children play in the yard.
"My concern is if [the coyotes] run out of food, what are they going to do, come attack my kids?" she said.

Hackensack resident Jim Gilbert walks his two Great Danes along Byrne Street instead of nearby Borg's Woods. He used to take them for their morning and evening strolls through the wooded area, but after running into coyotes several times these last few months, he's now opting for pavement. One time, he said, he saw four coyotes standing together. "They are not afraid," he said. "I would walk the two dogs in there, and I'd turn around and every time I would turn around I would have at least two following me, and I yelled at them, threw rocks, threw sticks, and finally I'd get them to stop," he said.

Jo Ann Iacono has lived in the neighborhood for 30 years. She said that three years ago, one female coyote could always be seen near the woods behind her back yard. The coyote would entertain her during winter months when it would slip and slide on ice."She was very cute," Iacono said.Then a male coyote came along, and they had pups."That was a little bit of a concern," she said.But, she said, there is something appealing about having a coyote in her hometown."It's nice to be able to have something like this when you live in this metropolis," she said.

Before going out, Emily Chillino says she peers through her front and back windows to make sure coyotes aren't nearby, and she doesn't let her small dogs out in the yard. "They would be lunch for the coyotes," she said.Chillino has called the state and local animal control numerous times in the past two years asking that officials trap and relocate the canines, to no avail. The last time she called, Chillino said she was told to place ammonia or mothballs near the coyotes' den, and even a radio or sound system. The noise is supposed to drive them away.

Maywood Police Chief David Pegg said that since the spring, police have received almost daily calls of coyote sightings. Last month, recess was moved indoors at Maywood Avenue school when a coyote was spotted near the school building, he said. And on Thursday, a police officer followed one toward woods off Briarcliff Avenue, he said.

Anyone observing a coyote that poses a threat can call New Jersey Fish and Wildlife Services at 908-735-7288. The department also has a 24-hour hotline at 1-877-WARN-DEP.