Coyotes Roaming Freely on Chicago Streets as Part of a Research Project Concern Residents

Chicago - A coyote sighting on the North Side prompted residents to call animal control, only to find out this particular coyote has a right to roam the streets of Chicago freely.

The coyote was spotted on the intersection of Division and Crosby Tuesday night. Some people thought that it was just a large dog. Later in the evening, the coyote was spotted checking out small dogs a few blocks away in a residential area. It was in this area that the coyote was picked up and released by Animal Control because of a permit to roam free.

"It wasn't acting like a dog---dogs around here will come and sniff around the trees and stuff this one was trotting along like he had a mission,” said Jeanine Handley, a North Side resident. “He was looking around and he was real hyper and everything."

Some residents are concerned for their pets.

“I have a big fence around my yard,” said Marilyn Williams, another resident. “Even when I put him in my yard I have to watch constantly cuz’ I don't want anything to happen to him.

A research group is currently studying the animals. This coyote is one of two that are tagged with a GPS that tracks their location. This 30-pound coyote is helping to lower the population of rats and other small rodents in Chicago. Area residents say that is not what they want to hear when the coyote is coming near them.

Williams said, “I would never imagine them being in the city like this---that is so shocking to me."

There are simple things that you can do to discourage coyotes from coming into your yard. The Humane Society of the United States offers this advice:

• Avoid feeding your own pets outside.
• If you must feed your pets outside, remove the food bowls as soon as they are done.
• Do not feed cats at night.
• If you compost, use enclosed bins.
• Do not compost meat or fish scraps.
• Keep trash in cans with tight-fitting lids.
• Get a " Critter Gitter. "
• Get a " Scarecrow Sprinkler ."