Small-Pet Safety Advised After Coyote Sightings

West Chicago sightings alarm some residents; city hopes information will calm fears, encourage informed actions to protect cats and dogs.

Coyote sightings have prompted officials in neighboring West Chicago to start a public education campaign to alleviate concerns among some residents of the city and give them the information they need to better protect their small pets. The bottom line, the city’s release states: Do not leave small pets outside unattended. Reported attacks on humans appear to be rare. The city is directing people to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources website, which offers information that may help allay panic should one see a coyote in their neighborhood. According to a release the city issued Wednesday, coyotes resemble small German shepherds, but they carry their tails below the level of their backs instead of curved upward, as dogs do. The …

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Arthur Dietrich

12:36 am on Saturday, November 17, 2012

They are howling tonight near Randall Square park at 12:35 AM.   more ›

Travels with AJ

Travels With AJ: Take a Walk on the Wild Side in Geneva

We do see a lot of wildlife in our travels.

Foxes, squirrels, beaver, rabbits, chipmunks, deer, muskrats, raccoons, possum, skunks, coyotes—you name it, we see it in on our walks. As you've probably notices in some of our other "Travels," one of our favorite walks is from our house along the north side of Good Templar Park to the bike path that runs along Oak Hill Cemetery to the Fox River and back. It's amazing that we can live in the heart of a city and at the same time walk a few steps and feel like we're in the wilderness. It's easy to see why folks wanted to settle here—it is beautiful and the list of animals we see sounds like a narrative by Lewis and Clark, the Geneva History Center or a Geneva pioneer. You'll see among these photos a fawn sleeping in the brush along the bike…

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