Animal 411

Coyote Kills New Canaan Dog on Smith Ridge Road

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A coyote killed a small dog on Smith Ridge Road following a scuffle Monday night, police said. Police on Tuesday responded to a report from a man who found the mauled body of a Yorkshire terrier on his property, officials said. While police investigated, the deceased dog’s owner could be seen searching for the animal and told authorities that she had been searching all night, according to Officer Allyson Halm, head of the New Canaan Police Department’s Animal Control section. Then on Wednesday, Halm said she received a report that a coyote was seen chasing two Cairn terriers on a Carter Street property. Fortunately, the dogs’ owner in that case stepped out and broke up the chase, she said.

Animal 411

Coyotes on Middle Ridge Road Raise Concerns of Denning

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Animal Control officials this week are urging Middle Ridge Road residents to use hazing tactics consistently in their neighborhood after an unsettling incident involving three coyotes and two domestic dogs. At about 5:30 p.m. Monday, a resident of the Hoyt Farms street found three coyotes confronting the dogs—a medium- and large-sized Labradoodle—in the yard, according to Officer Allyson Halm, head of the New Canaan Police Department’s Animal Control section. Almost immediately after scattering the wildlife by throwing something at them, members of the household saw the same three coyotes come back, Halm said, and the animals appeared to be marking the area. “The fact that there were three of them is something I am uncomfortable with,” Halm said. “Is it a breeding pair?

Animal 411

Coyote Info Signs To Go Up in Waveny, Irwin and Bristow

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Officials are putting up signs in three public parks to advise those who visit them that coyotes are active in the area. Planned for Waveny, Irwin and Bristow—a bird sanctuary attached to Mead Park—the signs include tips on what to do if approached by a coyote and how to protect pets. Officer Allyson Halm, head of the New Canaan Police Department’s Animal Control section, said the signs are designed to continue educating locals on how to coexist safely and responsibly with coyotes. “It’s just like the police doing a distracted driver campaign—it’s a forever thing and the conversation just has to keep going,” Halm said. Though coyotes have been denning in recent weeks as pups are born, locals have reported 15 sightings in New Canaan to Animal Control in the past month, Halm said.

Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

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The owners of the Roger Sherman Inn said late Wednesday that the restaurant isn’t closed for good after all. After announcing last month that Jan. 2 would be the Oenoke Ridge Road restaurant’s final day, an email blast shared on social media and signed by Nes Jaffre said “we’re extending our stay.” It isn’t clear how long it will be open or what’s the reason for the extension—the property is to be redeveloped by a Norwalk man, pending approval from the town. The Roger Sherman will serve in its bar and on its heated porch, and the dining room is available by request, according to the bulletin.

Animal 411

‘This Is Just Legal Animal Cruelty’: Coyote Seen Dragging ‘Leg Hold’ Trap in New Canaan

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Residents of northern New Canaan are voicing concerns about the welfare of a coyote that’s been spotted multiple times for the last two weeks dragging a leg hold trap through the snow. First seen Dec. 12 by a Jonathan Road resident, the animal is suffering because of what appears to be a botch job by an amateur or otherwise unqualified trapper, according to Officer Allyson Halm, head of the New Canaan Police Department’s Animal Control section. “This is just legal animal cruelty,” Halm said of the animal, which she herself saw briefly on Wednesday. No one has been able to photograph the animal, though pictures of its tracks—paws and the trap—are clear in the snow (see photo at right).