BAY VILLAGE, Ohio — Mayor Paul Koomar is inviting Bay Village residents concerned about coyotes in residential neighborhoods to attend a public forum Thursday (Feb. 19) hosted by Cleveland Metroparks.
Wildlife ecologist Jon Cepek will answer questions about why coyotes are in neighborhoods and what to do if they are in a resident’s yard.
Cepek began studying coyotes in 1998. For the last 11 years, he has been monitoring them and understanding their relationships with people and pets.
He will discuss what can be done to prevent or resolve problems.
Koomar said he would attend the meeting, which begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Rocky River Nature Center, 24000 Valley Parkway in North Olmsted.
He suggested that anyone with concerns about coyotes should also attend.
“I know we’ve had some interest in coyotes, certainly in Ward 3,” Koomar said.
A coyote looks around for some food in the snow near the Cleveland Metroparks South Chagrin Reservation. David Petkiewicz, cleveland.com
Several residents attended a Dec. 2 City Council meeting to express concerns about coyote sightings and encounters in the Longbeach Parkway and Northfield Road area immediately west of the Huntington Reservation of the Cleveland Metroparks.
One resident, while addressing City Council at the December meeting, said a coyote had become entangled in his Christmas lights and rolled around on the ground until it freed itself.
The incident occurred about 6:45 a.m., and the resident expressed concern because children passed by his home only minutes later on their way to school.
Another resident told council that she believes the coyotes are becoming more aggressive.
“They’re expanding,” she said. “They’re getting new dens. They have no natural predators. They’re only going to increase in population.
“They’re getting bigger. They’re getting more aggressive, which they never had been before.”
Several residents, in phone calls and emails to city officials, have expressed concerns about the safety of their children and pets.
Koomar recently talked with Cepek about the residents’ concerns.
“I found him to be very helpful,” the mayor said.
The mayor’s office has sent emails to residents advising them of the public forum.
Ward 3 Councilman Mike Greco said he has also emailed notices to residents who have contacted him with concerns.
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