CITY HALL — Coyotes could get a little more protection if a City Council committee moves forward Thursday with a proposed ordinance amendment.
Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) has sponsored a proposal calling for the city to create a "coyote management program," with the basic idea being to "leave the animal alone."
According to Hopkins, as the city faces rising reports of rats, coyotes are even more effective as rat predators than feral cats.
Hopkins' ordinance calls for the executive director of the city's Department of Animal Care and Control to formulate a "coyote management program" that would emphasize leaving the wild animals to themselves whenever possible, unless in the instance of attacks or aggressive behavior. It would allow "humane hazing" to shoo the animals away from areas where they're unwanted.
The ordinance also calls for the director to make an annual report to the Council on the status of coyotes in the city.
The Committee on Health and Environmental Protection takes up the matter at 9:30 a.m. Thursday at City Hall.
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