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A Wisconsin-based trapper trapped and killed five coyotes in three weeks after a coyote attacked and killed a dog in the Fisher Woods neighborhood of Wauwatosa in December.
However, it’s not yet clear if one of the trapped coyotes is the one that killed the 15-year-old Yorkie, according to a city spokesperson.
The city has contracted with Recon Trapping to set traps and kill the coyote as part of its Coyote Nuisance Management Policy and Response Plan, which states that if a verified pet attack occurs , the city “will hire a contracted professional to attempt to locate and remove the nuisance coyote(s).”
“The City of Wauwatosa also recognizes the environmental benefits of maintaining and encouraging natural wildlife populations and will make every effort to maintain natural ecosystems. this policy, to conduct a wholesale coyote culling program,” the plan also states.
Wauwatosa Police Public Information Officer Abby Pavlik said on Jan. 26, a resident reported that her golden retriever had “sustained lacerations in her ear and punctures in her face” while he was in the backyard of his home in the Fisher Woods neighborhood.
“The resident believes the injuries were caused by a coyote, but he was not seen, but other residents have recently observed coyotes in the area,” Pavlik said in an email.
Recon Trapping is one of seven licensed Milwaukee County trappers listed on the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources website.
The traps were set on January 10 near the area of the fatal attack on the Yorkie, which took place near North 123rd and West Vliet streets.
The company said the traps will remain in the Fisher Woods neighborhood until the contract expires Feb. 10. Recon Trapping plans to trap one to two more coyotes during this time.
Traps are non-lethal; however, the trapper has permission to fatally shoot the coyote after catching it, according to the town plan.
City communications manager Eva Ennamorato said she doesn’t believe the trapper can tell if the “nuisance coyote” was trapped “with 100 percent certainty.”
“But I know he sets the traps based on the behaviors and locations and patterns of the coyotes,” Ennamorato said.
Neighbors in the Fisher Woods neighborhood said they saw several coyotes in the area in the past few months. Many of them share observations on a neighborhood Facebook group.
A December Facebook post from the Wauwatosa Police Department also said there had been an “increase in coyote sightings and coyote activity in Wauwatosa” earlier in the month.
There have been 259 reported sightings of coyote activity in Milwaukee County over the past six years, according to the Milwaukee County Coyote Watch website.
The city’s current coyote policy came out in 2016 after coyotes killed two pet dogs the previous year in the city.
Marty Johnson, wildlife biologist for the DNR, said January is coyote breeding season. He said as the breeding season continues, the coyotes become more active.
“For better or for worse, they won’t be eliminated,” he said. “If you were to retire a coyote or two, it’s only a matter of time before another animal fills that position.”
Evan Casey can be reached at 414-403-4391 or evan.casey@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter @ecaseymedia.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Trapper kills five coyotes in Wauwatosa following dog attack
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