By Jon Ericson, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, Iowa
McClatchy-Tribune Regional News
24 February 2009
Waterloo Courier (MCT)
Feb. 24--CEDAR FALLS -- Hansen Elementary School students were kept inside for morning recess Monday after reports of a coyote sighting on school grounds.
A neighbor reported sighting a coyote under goal posts at the Hansen/Holmes school complex Monday morning and reported it to police and to the schools.
Hansen Principal Tony Reid said he had received the report of the coyote and kept the children inside as a precaution.
He was checking with Iowa Department of Natural Resources officials and a Black Hawk County Conservation ranger on the best way to proceed. The ranger had advised him that coyotes would be afraid of school children and not come near them.
Children were allowed outside in the afternoon, but the school increased supervision.
Dave Roberts, an avid coyote hunter, had heard about sightings of a coyote late last week. On Monday morning, his wife saw the coyote resting underneath the practice football field on West Fourth Street. The Roberts live on Chateau Court and the rear of their home faces the field.
"I let my black lab out and (the coyote) chased her back in. Then she went back under the goal post for another 10 minutes," Roberts said.
Roberts said he believes the coyote is in estrus and mating with a dog in the neighborhood.
Roberts said he got a good look at the animal as it came near his house in pursuit of the dog and was confident it was a female coyote.
He said other neighbors had seen the animal several times since last Thursday.
Cedar Falls Police Chief Jeff Olson said the city has had a number of coyote reports since early January. Most of those reports came from the Birdsall Park area.
The first calls reported both a male and female coyote, but recently sightings have only been of the female coyote.
"There's been no aggression observed by this coyote," Olson said.
Police are exploring options for dealing with the coyote and Olson said they are looking at live trapping the animal and releasing it away from the city.
Contact Jon Ericson at (319) 291-1461 or jonathan.ericson@wcfcourier.com.
http://www.wcfcourier.com
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