By Ashley M. Casey

Staff Writer

After receiving several complaints about coyote sightings in the area, North Syracuse Mayor Gary Butterfield is encouraging residents not to worry about the creatures.

“They’re difficult to get rid of. They’re established throughout the United States in almost every municipality,” Butterfield said at the Oct. 26 meeting of the Village Board of Trustees.

Butterfield directed residents to check out coyotecoexistence.com, which dispels myths about the dangers of coyotes and gives strategies on dealing with coyote populations in an urban setting.

Butterfield said trapping and relocating coyotes is ineffective because more coyotes will just repopulate an area. He said despite their reputation, coyotes are responsible for very few attacks on humans.

“Approximately 15 to 20 people are killed every year by domestic dogs, whereas coyotes are responsible for approximately two nonfatal injuries per year,” reads the website of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System.

Butterfield said coyotes have a low incidence of rabies as well. According to coyotecoexistence.com, only 0.2 percent of rabies cases documented in 2010 were identified as coyotes.

However, Trustee Diane Browning said she has received calls from residents concerned about the potential dangers to their children and pets.

“They’ve walked into people’s garages, eaten the cat food, taken the cat,” she said.

Butterfield said coyotes are not aggressive, tend to avoid humans and are easily scared away with loud noises. According to coyotecoexistence.com, coyotes will attack pets if they become “habituated” — or conditioned — to expect food being left around.

“You will be inviting them into your yard if coyotes find a food source there, such as small pets or pet food. Do not make your beloved pets a part of the food chain,” the website reads.

This isn’t the first time Butterfield has advocated the live-and-let-live approach with wildlife. Back in June, Butterfield spoke to the ecological benefits of the possum — chiefly that they suppress tick populations.

“I think a lot of calls are for animals that people don’t like to look at, but they’re actually beneficial,” Butterfield said in June.

The village’s new contact for nuisance wildlife removal is Al Burns of Animal Control Services of CNY. Burns can be reached at (315) 415-7509.