Reports of a rabid coyote’s attack on a New Jersey man and other human-animal encounters in Bergen County have Rockland County police agencies on alert.
Suffern Mayor Michael Curley reported to village residents this week that coyote sightings were up in the village and police had added patrols. There had been no reports of aggression toward humans by the animals, according to Curley.
Ramapo police also have patrols on the lookout along the southern border and western area of town.
String of aggressive coyote encounters in NJ
Saddle River, New Jersey, police reported on Oct. 22 that a coyote who attacked a man in his yard on Oct. 21 had tested positive for rabies, a potentially fatal virus.
A separate incident occurred in Bergen County on Oct. 20, when a person walking a dog in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, was attacked.
Two other coyote attacks on humans were reported in late September in Saddle River.
The areas are within just a few miles of the Rockland County border in the Ramapo region.
Police on alert, residents urged to report encounters
Ramapo Police Sgt. Michael Higgins said officials were aware and had been in touch with New Jersey agencies, as well as the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
He said patrols in the southwest portion of town, such as Chestnut Ridge, as well as in the westernmost areas of Sloatsburg and Hillburn had been alerted to the uptick in aggressive coyote reports.
These areas of the county, especially in western Ramapo, are embraced for their natural surroundings, so wildlife comes with the territory. Still, officials said, nature needs to be appreciated with a health dose of distance and respect.
Higgins called the incidents alarming but said the town of Ramapo had not had similar reports.
Higgins said reminded residents: “With any interaction with an animal, medical attention should be sought due to rabies.”
What to know about coyotes and keeping safe
NYDEC reports that the Eastern coyote is firmly established in New York and the animals can usually coexist with humans if coyotes’ natural fear of people is maintained.
Coyotes in residential areas can be attracted to garbage, pet food, and other human-created sources of food. The animals can end up associating humans with food sources. DEC urges humans to store garbage carefully, not feed pets outside and not feed wild animals.
A coyote that does not flee from people should be considered dangerous.
DEC offers this guidance in case of a coyote-human enounter:
NorthJersey.com reporter Lucas Frau contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Rabid coyote attack on man in New Jersey puts Ramapo region on alert
Reporting by Nancy Cutler, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
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