Portions of popular NJ park will remain closed after coyote attack on girl and dog
A portion of one of North Jersey's most popular parks will remain closed for much of this week after a coyote bit a girl and a dog in South Mountain Reservation in Essex County, officials said.
Park staff, sheriff's officers and employees of the state Division of Fish and Wildlife have been searching for the coyote since the attack happened Friday near the dog run in Maplewood's portion of the park.
Several sections of the park will remain closed until Thursday, county officials said in a statement. This includes the dog park, the area around Crest Drive, picnic and parking areas between South Orange Avenue and Glen Avenue, and Locust Grove, a popular hiking area.
The park's most popular attractions — Turtle Back Zoo, an ice rink and a recreation area near the reservoir — will remain open.
Animal experts say coyotes rarely exhibit aggressive behavior toward humans. Coyote attacks in New Jersey are not common but do happen from time to time.
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Ramapo Valley County Reservation in Mahwah closed for nearly a week in 2019 after a woman and a dog were attacked. A few months before those encounters, police in Fairfield shot and killed a coyote that had attacked a mother and her 4-year-old son.
A species of wild dog once confined to the West, coyotes have made a long, slow migration east into Ohio, Pennsylvania and parts of the Eastern Seaboard. They mated with wolves and created the larger Eastern coyote, weighing 20 to 50 pounds and looking like a small German shepherd. They are extremely adaptable, living in rural forests, suburban communities and urban landscapes alike.
New Jersey is estimated to be home to 3,000 to 6,000 coyotes. They have been spotted in 400 New Jersey towns and all 21 counties. Most tend to stick to one area as long as there is an abundance of prey, such as rabbits, squirrels, mice and woodchucks.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Coyote attack Maplewood NJ: Park remains closed in Essex
