Coyote in the nabe?

rebshea

Okay, this may be crazy, but I was walking home up Underhill last night and saw what I think may have been a coyote! I know there have been sightings in Manhattan and I don't know whether my perceptions were polluted by the media reports - but this animal was trotting (not running) at a good clip down the middle of the empty street with kind of a furry arched tail. No chance to take a pic. There didn't seem to be an owner in sight. Anyone else?

stooplady

I haven't seen coyotes but a young raccoon scurried across 8th Avenue and 1st Street.
It was slender and had a curved tail. Wasn't fat like the one I saw on my block last year.
They can run pretty fast and have long tails. They can be slender or fat and are a greyish brown. You never know. Just stay away, especially if they stop first. :?

rebshea

.definitely wasn't a racoon. this was a dog... or coyote. Could have been a wild dog, I guess, but somehow it seemed wilder and more confident than a domestic. Although I have no idea about feral dogs.

salix

It was probably a feral dog. Coyotes don't have "furry arched tails."

cmc

Subject: coyote sighting

Smithsonian Magazine, March 2006, original link dead... can google though

The coyote, that cunning canine of wide-open spaces, has come to the nation's capital. And to New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and other cities. In fact, coyotes have spread to every corner of the United States, shifting their behaviors to fit new habitats and spurring researchers to cope with a worrisome new kind of carnivore: the urban coyote.

brownie

Where I am from in Mass. we have them. One way you know they are out and about is that the cat population in the area substantially dwindles. So if a lot of fluffys go missing that might be cause for concern. My mom doesn't let her small dog out in the early a.m. without an escort.

tybur6

It was probably not a coyote... more likely a skinny werewolf -- ya know, hipster vampire type creature.

independent mind

It was probably your totem animal, were you maybe eating peyote earlier in the day and forgot? Or were you on the cell with the late yaqui don juan?

stacey

It was the Cupacabra!

Sorry couldn't pass that up. I live on Underhill and have to say that I have not seen a stray dog in quite a few years. Where on Underhill did you see it?

rebshea

It was trotting towards Atlantic down Underhill between St. Mark's and Bergen. It was Sunday night around midnight.

the invisible lines

I may have seen the same animal that the OP saw. I live on Classon between St. Marks and Bergen. My windows face the back of the building, which is mostly fenced in yards. I had the window open yesterday because of the awesome weather, and I heard a shuffling/scurrying noise outside so I looked out just in time to see a cat hauling ass out of view with what looked like a feral, light-brown, very skinny "dog" with high, pointed ears chasing after the cat. I only saw it for a few seconds, but got a good look. I'm not expert enough to call it a coyote, but I will say that I'm pretty knowledgeable about dog breeds, and I could not recognize this animal's pedigree. There was definitely something "wild" about it. I didn't think much of it, but now that someone else saw something similar I'm thinking maybe I should have called the ASPCA or the police or something . . .

cool the kid

I am thinking.... she wolf

cmc

excerpts from email from Jeff Main, Westchester Parks (Conservation Division)

It's the first I have heard of coyote's in Brooklyn, and it makes me wonder about whether there might be a population somewhere on Long Island...Of course, we do know that coyote's have found their way to Manhattan (traversing a bridge perhaps), which could also be a potential route to the Island. In any case, typically a coyote's tail will be down or no higher than its back. Their scat, if you come across it, is usually tapered at the ends... Another behavior that is characteristic of wild species vs. domestic is the movement of the former is more calculated/detemined and less whimsical, as maintaining their energy budget is critical.

In any case, it is best to discourage coyotes from becoming comfortable questing in human occupied areas like neighborhoods. If you find that an animal does not respond (move off) from your efforts, it would be prudent not to approach, but avoid it and contact your regional NYSDEC office.

bkchickie

There was definitely a coyote in my Boston neighborhood. I never saw it myself, but there were many positive sightings and identifications by people who knew what they were looking for. I lived near a very large expanse of parklands and woods (larger than Prospect Park) with links to an extensive network of wild areas.
I will say that it kept me out of the Arboretum's wooded sections when I found out about it.

I wonder how much acreage your average coyote needs. Could the woods in Prospect Park provide enough cover? I would imagine that food could easily be had from garbage. All in all, not a bad way to live.

caseopele

It was most likely a shiba inu that was lost near GAP Monday night. I saw signs yesterday on 7th Ave about her so I called (remembering this thread) and learned that the dog was found that morning. She was a bit larger than the average shiba so it's likely that this was the animal the OP saw, not a coyote.

walkathon

It was most likely Marty Markowitz on a bad hair day.

cmc

I have reports of coyotes in Queens (see web site below), but not from Brooklyn. Coyotes have recently been spotted in Central Park and along the Hudson River at 24th Street.

I agree with Jeff that if the animal walked with its tail held high and arched, it was probably a dog. Coyotes typically walk with their tail held low.

I hope this information is helpful. -Paul Curtis, Cornell

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/20/coyote-spotted-in-queens_n_365481.html

http://wcbstv.com/topstories/coyote.in.queens.2.1325666.html

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/archives/2009/11/coyote_spotted.php

rebshea

I compared what I saw to images of coyotes online- the animal was very similar. The tail was not held high, it was hanging low - arched may be too strong a word, more like it had a slight curve and was a bit furry (as opposed to rope-like).
I spotted the animal on Sunday night - not Monday, when the shiba inu was lost.
But of course, I'm not saying it wasn't a dog - just curious whether anyone else had similar sightings in the area.

whynot_31

Coyote caught in Manhattan today.

http://wcbstv.com/local/coyote.sighting.manhattan.2.1588664.html