Tarrytown Police: Injured Coyote on the Run

Some weeks are more coyote-centric in the Tarrytown Police blotters than others. Last week, police spent a good amount of time tracking down what seems to be just one injured animal on the run.

On Sept. 13 at 11:50 p.m. a caller reported seeing a coyote, possibly sick, in front of Castle Heights Avenue. The animal was gone on arrival, as it would be for several other calls that came in on this day and others following.

Other callers noted a possibly injured coyote

• on Sept. 13 at 2:39 p.m. on Irving Avenue by Neperan Road
• on Sept. 14 at 10:02 a.m. on the sports field of EF School
• on Sept. 16 at 12:33 p.m. in front of Hitachi in the field on Prospect Avenue. Police confirmed here that the animal seemed to be moving around okay but with an injured leg.
• on Sept. 18 at 8:15 a.m. on Hitachi property

This latest caller was informed that there wasn't much the Tarrytown Police could do at this point and was referred to the Greenburgh animal warden. Police soon received a call from Greenburgh PD requesting an officer meet the animal control officer at the Hitachi to see if the animal needed to be put down.

Officers reported they attempted to approach the coyote, as they had done previously this week, and it walked away, making it impossible to shoot it in a safe manner.

It did appear, noted Tarrytown Police, that the animal had a broken rear leg.

The Department of Environmental Conservation was notified and they advised police that the animal be left alone, and to let “nature take its course.” Once the animal is unable to move or walk on its own, the DEC said, it should be destroyed. 

So far, whichever course nature has taken is unknown to the Tarrytown Police as Lieutenant William Herguth reports they haven't received any further calls about the coyote since the last sighting on Sept. 18. 

Herguth said it's rare police would have to shoot a coyote, and he doesn't recall doing so on his watch. "You take a big chance [trying to shoot the animal], in a populated area, you certainly don't want to if you don't have to," he said.

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Have you seen this coyote? Is it still on the loose? Tell us in the comments.