Captured Coyote Brought To Sweetbriar Nature Center In Smithtown

SMITHTOWN, NY — An injured coyote wandering the Nassau-Queens border was brought to the Sweetbriar Nature Center in Smithtown, the center announced on Facebook.

Police captured the coyote and brought it to the center's wildlife hospital, where he was rushed to the animal hospital at Best Friends Veterinary Care. Radiographs revealed a hip and severe pelvic fracture, which is why the coyote was caught so easily, the center said.

"What a magnificent creature, a first for us and we are super excited," Sweetbriar Nature Center wrote.

The center will allow the coyote to recover for the next few weeks, and he will then be re-radiographed, where the center hopes the coyote can avoid surgery.

"I think we will call him Wile E. Coyote unless someone has a better name???" the center wrote.

Sweetbriar Nature Center is asking for donations for the coyote's care. Donations can be made on the center's Facebook page.

The center's goal is to re-release the 1-year-old coyote into the wild, News 12 Long Island reported.

Coyotes have been spotted across Long Island in recent years, the center said.

Long Island’s first official coyote settled into a small park in Queens as early as 2009, according to Sweetbriar.

Long Island coyotes are known as Eastern coyotes and are generally larger than coyotes out West, according to the center. DNA testing suggests this may be because of interbreeding with grey wolves. Sweetbriar Nature Center took DNA and blood samples of the coyote it rescued.

"So why are coyotes a good thing?" the center wrote. "They offer great benefits to the environment. Biodiversity is super important and one thing we could use on Long Island is more top predators. Coyotes help keep the deer population under control by feeding on deer, their main prey."

Coyotes also help reduce the spread of Lyme disease, the center stated. Coyotes eating deer and mice slows the spread of Lyme, officials said.

"Although coyotes might feed on small dogs and cats if there is no other food available, attacks can easily be prevented by keeping pets inside unless closely supervised," Sweetbriar Nature Center wrote. "So coyotes might be here to stay."

The coyote, like all rehabilitation animals at the nature center, cannot be viewed.