Coyote Spotted at Sandy Hook National Park

Sandy Hook, NJ - A nature photographer based in Farmingdale stumbled on this coyote in Gateway National Park Thursday afternoon, and took this photo. The coyote ran into the park after Sea Bright police chased it through town. Sightings of the animal were reported as far south as Long Branch.

“We didn’t know it was there; we happened upon each other as we were leaving the bay beach,” photographer John Entwistle told Patch. “This was in the early afternoon as we were coming off the beach. We were frightened at first and didn’t know what to expect. But he didn’t come any closer to us and just continued along the dunes.”

“It was a beautiful creature to see in person,” he added.

The coyote is now thought to be in the northern wooded section of Sandy Hook, said Peter McCarthy, the National Park Service Sandy Hook coordinator who oversees operations for the entire 1,665-acre park.

It is very rare for coyotes to be seen in Sandy Hook/Gateway National Recreation Area, said Daphne Yun, an NPS spokeswoman.

“Coyotoes have not been seen here before. We think it came into the park from a neighboring town,” she said.

Indeed, police officers in Sea Bright told Patch they received several calls about a coyote in town Thursday morning. Police and animal control officers chased the coyote through the center of town at about 10 a.m. They were unable to capture it, however, when it ran into Sandy Hook, the officer said.

A man in Long Branch took a video Wednesday of what is likely the same coyote at an apartment complex. Watch the video here.

Park authorities are a bit flummoxed and currently deciding what to do about the animal, said McCarthy.

“I’ve been here for six years and this is the first I’ve heard of (a coyote),” McCarthy told Patch. “We are deciding right now what we’re going to do.”

There are some concerns about the coyote endangering the park’s bird population, including the endangered piping plover, which will nest in the spring, he said. Additionally, he reminded park visitors to keep their distance from the coyote should they see it.

“This is a wild animal, and you should not go near any wild animal,” he said.

While this is a first for Sandy Hook, coyotes have been spotted in Middletown before. Two children were attacked by coyotes in Middletown in April and May of 2007. The coyote was seen near Pomo Court and Seneca Drive, and several pets in the area were killed. Police fired at the coyote and traps were set up, but no coyote was ever caught.

Photo reprinted with permission from John Entwistle Photography.