Crime & Safety

Coyotes in Our Midst: Tinley Park Officer Shoots Nuisance Animal

After an attempt to tranquilize a coyote failed in late August, an officer got permission to take matters into his own hands.

The responsibility of killing a "nuisance coyote" prowling around several weeks ago fell not to animal control, but to a police officer after the malfunctioning of a tranquilizer gun.

Residents phoned more than 30 complaints into the between Aug. 12 and Aug 28 regarding the coyote, according to reports. A dozen of those calls went directly to Tinley Animal Control Officer Kim Tessmann, the report said.

The complaints ceased Aug. 28 around 9 a.m., when an officer shot and killed the coyote near the intersection of Jody Lane and Austin Boulevard. The day before, an Orland Park Animal Control officer tried to tranquilize the coyote with no success, according to the police report.

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"I was advised that if the opportunity presented itself where the coyote could be put down in a safe area, not in public view and away from residences, that I could put the animal down," the Tinley officer wrote in the report.

He specified that he shot the animal with a .40-caliber handgun near a wooded area.

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"The coyote appeared to be very sick," Tinley Park Police Cmndr. Steve Vaccaro said. "It wasn't vicious, it wasn't destructive … But it was laying on people's patios or decks and in their backyards. … (The officer) had a technical issue with our tranquilizer gun and we weren't able to tranquilize it."

Tessmann said this year most local animal complaints have been skunk related. It's not often that a coyote is causing trouble in the area and it’s also rare, she said, for an officer to have to put an animal down.

"Some residents who are living in a suburban area in a country setting do complain, but that's because we displace these coyotes and they are forced to find a new place to inhabit," Tessmann said. "This was a different situation than someone just seeing a coyote. It was not backing down from cars or from people walking their dogs."

Coyotes are typically skittish and nervous about getting close to people, she said. They won't even walk into live traps because they're smart enough to know they'll be caged, Tessmann noted, which makes them difficult to capture. Other types of traps—like "leg hold" devices—can't be used in residential areas because of people's safety.

The report described this coyote's eyes as having a "mucous film indicating possible distemper." It also may have had mange, police said.

"All of us put our heads together and one officer decided 'enough is enough,'" Tessmann said. 

She cautioned residents Thursday to use common sense when coyotes, or any wild animals, are around. She also reminded them that ground feeding has been outlawed in Tinley Park.

"Any kind of ground feeding, whether it's seed, doughnuts, bread, scraps, anything … is not allowed," she said, adding that residents should also avoid overfilling bird feeders. "The thing is, anything that draws in smaller rodents will bring larger animals that use those rodents as prey."

Coyotes feed largely on mice, Tessmann said.

"You just have to be smart. That's all," she said.

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