Bear, Er, Coyote, Spotted On Vernon School Campus

VERNON, CT — A coyote spotted at Vernon Center Middle School Monday morning was so big, administrators thought it was a bear at first.

The call to police came in on Monday morning as the faculty and staff were preparing for the school day, police said.

From a distance, the animal's size made it look like a small bear, police said. An officer went to check on the sighting and confirmed it was a large coyote.

It appeared to be the large coyote that has been hanging around Vernon Center. Police said there have been several sightings and added it is pushing 80 pounds and looks "healthy." One officer who has a regular beat in the area said she drove up to it on Route 30 recently, activated her lights and siren and just stared in amazement as it refused to move out of the way.

The officer said she has seen it a few times and the coyote is unfazed by civilization.

A Vernon Center resident said he drove up to the coyote on Center Road and it also refused to move initially. It finally meandered out of the way, turned to look after being yelled at and calmly scratched its ear like a domestic dog.

Vernon animal control officials said a coyote that size is possible because, over the years, coyotes have bred with wolves while migrating west-to-east.

State environmental officials said Coyotes resemble a lanky German shepherd dog, but have wide, pointed ears, a long muzzle, yellow eyes, and an uncurled, bushy tail which is carried low to the ground.

Coyotes were not originally found in Connecticut, but have extended their range eastward during the past 100 years from the western plains and midwestern United States, through Canada and into the northeastern and mid-Atlantic states, officials said.

Coyotes were first reported in Connecticut in the mid-1950s. For the next 10 years, most coyote reports were from northwestern Connecticut. Coyotes eventually expanded their range throughout the entire state and are now a part of Connecticut’s ecosystem, officials said. The coyote is one wildlife species that has adapted to "human-disturbed environments" and can thrive in close proximity to populated areas, officials said.

To see the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection coyote fact sheet, click here.

Photo Credit: Chris Dehnel