By Bill Raack, KWMU
Ladue, Mo. – Residents of the St. Louis County suburb of Ladue met Tuesday night to find out if they should worry about recent sightings of coyotes.
There have been a couple of cases of coyotes attacking small pets in the western suburbs lately. But Daryl Damron, with the Missouri Department of Conservation, says coyotes do not pose much of a risk to residents or their property.
"Not all coyotes attack dogs, but some will do that in a territorial-type dispute," Damron says.
"That's what coyotes do for a living; so if we know they are there and we take special measures to keep our pets safe, we won't usually have a problem."
Damron says he receives about 100 calls a year about coyote sightings. He says they mostly occur in the late winter when the animals can be seen more clearly, and when food is less abundant.