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Coyotes and Other Wild Animals

With large open areas like Woodlake Nature Center, Veterans Memorial Park, Taft Park and other city parks, coyotes, foxes and other wild animals can find inviting places in Richfield to live and forage for food.  We don’t always see them but that doesn’t mean they’re not here; occasionally an alert citizen will spot one of them and call Animal Control with questions.

Typically, coyotes are opportunistic hunters and will take advantage of the easiest and most available food sources. This includes many different types of food ranging from garbage to small mammals and birds.  Unfortunately, they may infrequently also prey on domestic cats or small dogs so it’s always a good idea to monitor your pet while he’s outside, even if you aren’t aware of anything in your area.

Although coyotes can be a threat to domestic pets, they are not a threat to humans. In fact, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, there has never been a documented coyote attack on a human in Minnesota. Statistics from around the country show people are far more likely to be bitten by a domestic dog than to be bitten by a coyote. The Minnesota DNR has more information about coyotes on its website:

 http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/volunteer/janfeb03/mpcoyote.html

Take these precautions to ensure the safety of your pet:

  • Do not leave pet food or garbage outside.
  • Do not intentionally feed coyotes.
  • Do not leave dogs or cats outside unattended for long periods of time.
  • Pets should be leashed and attended when walking in any recreational area as required by Richfield Ordinance.
  • If confronted by a coyote, persons should shout or make some other loud noise to frighten the animal away.

Residents should call 911 to report any aggressive coyote behavior and be aware of the potential harm coyotes could inflict on pets and take the above precautions.  Richfield Animal Control is addressing nuisance coyote activity by providing awareness and public education. If you have further questions, please call Richfield Animal Control at (612) 861-9823.