Coyote near St. Charles school worries resident
By ASHLEY RHODEBECK
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arhodebeck@kcchronicle.com
ST. CHARLES – South Sixth Street resident Dan Vasil and his neighbors have an unwelcome guest.
A coyote has been known to lie on a sidewalk in Baker Field Park, typically in the mornings, Vasil said, adding that he recently spotted it on the tennis courts.
The animal’s presence is making Vasil nervous because schoolchildren often pass the park during their walk to Davis Elementary School, 1125 S. Seventh St.
Although the coyote has not displayed aggressive behavior, Vasil would like it removed.
“It’d be foolish to wait for more aggressive behavior,” he said.
He contacted the St. Charles Police Department to help remove the coyote. Officers tried to shoo it away, he said, but it never left.
“There’s not really much the police department can do,” St. Charles police spokesperson Paul McCurtain said. “If they are an immediate threat then we can deal with them, or if one has been injured then we would put them down just like a deer that’s been hit by a car.”
The police work with Kane County Animal Control to remove domesticated animals, such as stray dogs, but not wild animals, McCurtain said.
In the case of the coyote near Baker Field Park, school district spokesperson Jim Blaney said former Kane County Animal Control officer Phil Zavitz asked the St. Charles School District for permission to place Havahart traps on school property. The district said OK.
Blaney said that the traps should pose no harm to students.
“We wouldn’t allow them on school property if they were a danger,” Blaney said.
Attempts to reach Zavitz were unsuccessful, and Zavitz’s wife declined to comment when reached by phone.
“What we gather is the trapper is having some difficulty because the coyote is refusing to take the bait,” McCurtain said. “Apparently neighbors in the area are feeding the coyote.”
St. Charles residents in the last five years have reported seeing other coyotes in backyards and in the streets, McCurtain said. He recommends citizens leave the animals alone and keep an eye on small pets when they are outside.
“Even though we haven’t seen any that have gotten violent or aggressive,” McCurtain said, “people should still remember they’re wild animals and they’re not domesticated.”
What to do
For more information about animal removal, St. Charles police spokesperson Paul McCurtain recommends people contact Kane County Animal Control at 630-232-3555 or hire a trapper. People should not try to shoot an animal since firing a weapon in city limits is against the law, he said.
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