Cliff the Coyote Still Alive, Final Fate Decided Soon

MIDDLETOWN, RI—Despite reports about his death, Middletown's police chief said Monday that Cliff, a well-known coyote on Aquidneck Island, has not yet been euthanized.

Chief Anthony Pesare said he did not make a final decision about Cliff's fate because the investigation is not completed.

The Town follows a protocol when an animal may have to be euthanized, he said. Police investigate to determine if the animal poses a threat to public safety.

He will wrap up his investigation within the next 24 to 48 hours, he said Monday evening.

Pesare has already spoken to Numi Mitchell, lead biologist with the Narragansett Bay Coyote Study, as well as to residents who reported encounters with Cliff. He will also consult Middletown's animal control officer before making a decision.

While the animal's death would be a sad outcome for Cliff, who has been conditioned to not fear humans due to illegal feeding, the chief said he also takes the concerns about Cliff seriously. Based on the information so far, Pesare believes the coyote does pose a danger because Cliff has become habituated to people and is not afraid of humans.

Over the summer, officials tried to re-instill fear by shooting rubber bullets at him, hoping he'd avoid people in the future. But Cliff, whose movements can be followed because he's outfitted with a GPS collar, has been tracked visiting a Middletown house repeatedly.

If the people in that house are deliberately feeding him, they will be charged, the Chief said. If they are leaving food out for a cat or dog, they will be warned, he said, but it would appear Cliff has been finding food at that house.

Cliff, about 18 months old, had been used for Mitchell's research. He was tranquilized, fitted with the special collar and used to track the pack's movements and discover its food sources.

Pesare said Middletown police paid for two collars to track coyotes, and Cliff was one of them.

Earlier this year, Mitchell's research led police to charge a Portsmouth woman with feeding the coyotes. Middletown police have spoken to people involved in similar activity.

Mitchell did not return e-mail messages asking for comment.

The Narragansett Bay Coyote Study's Facebook page posted the news story about Cliff and comments from animal lovers who hope he might be spared. Cliff is described on the Facebook page as "benign and clueless." However, it also posted a photograph of Cliff from a Newport resident who said he was in her Kay Boulevard neighborhood around 9 a.m. That writer expressed fear children might approach him, thinking he was a dog.

The best thing the public can do, according to the Facebook post, is not feed coyotes and help educate their neighbors.

Ultimately, feeding them dooms them, Mitchell said previously. Although some people are deliberately feeding the coyotes, others are unaware the animals are feeding on compost piles and unsecured dumpsters.

Links:
Narragansett Bay Coyote Study

Photo courtesy: Tracy Donovan O'Malley