Coyotes usually try to avoid human contact. Yet animal experts say an increasing number of coyotes are setting up shop in one of the most dense urban labyrinths: downtown Chicago.
The seemingly incongruous marriage between coyotes and a people-packed habitat has occurred naturally, according to Stan Gehrt, an Ohio State University professor who specializes in coyote research in Cook County. Gehrt said he and his team know of no deliberate efforts to release coyotes into the downtown area.
Yes! Coyotes continue to call downtown Chicago home. This short news story reviews the case of the urban coyote. Be sure to check out the story on coyote 441 in the link below, who is the top feature-photo (from 2011) in this article.
Please note that while the article states an estimated 2,000 coyotes live in downtown Chicago, this number refers to all of Cook County, NOT exclusively the downtown area. Interesting fact: Encompassing 69,000 acres, the Forest Preserve District of Cook County is the largest forest preserve district in the United States. You can find more info by visiting the FPDCC website.
