Police and a sharpshooter hired by Greenwood Village have killed six coyotes since early this year, when the City Council authorized killing aggressive animals, the city said Monday.
Four of the animals were killed by police, while two were killed by a sharpshooter with a company called Animal Damage Control, said Ryan Gregory, spokesman for the Greenwood Village city manager’s office.
The city’s decision has angered animal-rights groups, but Greenwood Village said lethal measures are necessary as the coyotes have become acclimated to their urban environment and, in some cases, aggressive.
In announcing the number of coyote kills, the city said there have been “multiple reports” in recent weeks of coyotes chasing residents in the area of Monaco Park.
Additionally, said the city, coyotes on “multiple occasions” have jumped 6-foot privacy fences into backyards near Tommy Davis Park, prompting residents to rescue their dogs from the coyotes.
Greenwood Village said the first coyote was killed in January near Westlands Park after a 14-year-old boy was attacked.
The City Council in early February formally approved limited shooting of coyotes in public areas of the city, including parks, greenbelts and watersheds.
City officials said Monday they recognize the value and benefits provided by all wildlife and that the city has a four-part, comprehensive management plan that includes hazing in an effort to spare the coyotes’ lives.
Despite the ongoing hazing efforts, deadly force has been necessary because of the aggressiveness of some of the coyotes, they said.
“Greenwood Village will continue to focus on the . . . components of our coyote-management policy, which includes education/outreach, enforcement of leash and wildlife-feeding laws and hazing,” said City Manager Jim Sanderson. “Addressing this public-safety issue with a multifaceted approach continues to be a priority.”
Some people protested Friday evening just hours after police shot and killed a coyote that two residents said attacked their dogs as they walked near Monaco Park.
Lt. Joe Harvey of the Greenwood Village police said his officers also were trying to find the dead coyote’s possible mate.
Nicole Rosmarino, the wildlife program director for WildEarth Guardians, said the objective of Friday night’s protest was to save the female’s life as well as other coyotes in Greenwood Village.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
