Coyotes have officially debuted in Washington just a short distance from AU in Rock Creek Park. The first official coyote sighting was in September, but there have been unofficial sightings since May, according to the Rock Creek Park National Park Service Web site.
Kevin Sullivan, D.C. Wildlife Services state director, said the coyotes have probably been around a lot longer than that. He said the National Zoo reported coyotes eating a few of its small birds two or three years ago.
"I know there's been sightings and observations for years," Sullivan said. "It's similar to the snakehead fish. It could have been there for four years and no one knew."
Sullivan said the Maryland and Virginia coyote populations probably spilled over into the District.
The National Park Service says coyotes are not a threat to humans, but they have been known to hunt small pets. It also warns not to feed the coyotes, since that will increase the chance of the animals biting humans.
Sullivan agrees that the coyotes aren't a real threat to people, especially in densely populated areas, but he said he wouldn't be surprised if two to three people were bitten each year. He said coyotes might bite people if they are near a den or the coyote is sick.
"We have foxes attacking people. If a fox will do it, there's nothing to think a 30- to 50-pound coyote couldn't," he said.
Sullivan said it was not unheard of for coyotes to have rabies, but it is unlikely. He also said dogs are usually not in danger, since by law they need to be leashed, but cats are often attacked.
"It takes awhile before someone with six or seven cats realizes they are down to two, and then there are 20 missing in the neighborhood and people realize it may be a coyote," he said.
Brittany Laur, a sophomore in the School of International Service, said she heard a coyote when she was walking on campus at night last week.
"At first I thought it was some kid, and then I said wait, that sounds like a coyote," she said.
Laur says she has heard coyotes before, and she's pretty certain that's what she heard on that night. She didn't think coyotes could live in D.C., but she's not worried about them.
"I don't want them running across campus, but it's pretty cool to hear them," she said.
The National Park Service says coyotes look similar to a tan and gray German shepherd dog, but coyotes have longer legs, longer snouts and bushier tails. They stand about 2 feet tall at the shoulders.
