It’s the briefest of video clips, but it was proof enough for Arlington officials to issue a breathless alert late Tuesday: Coyotes, they said, have officially been spotted in the county.
A camera posted in Potomac Regional Overlook Park caught a glimpse of a wolf-like animal pacing about, and county wildlife officials confirmed Tuesday that it is in fact a coyote.
Arlington, with its high-rise condos and densely developed Metro corridors, doesn’t seem like the kind of environs typically favored by canines of the Wile E. variety. But officials have long suspected that coyotes have been living in Arlington, given that they’ve been documented in nearly every other Virginia county. Even D.C. confirmed a coyote in Rock Creek Park in 2004.
It’s likely the coyotes are avoiding the more populated parts of Arlington and sticking to the county’s north side, which borders the Potomac.
“There are long stretches of land there, long corridors where lots of different wildlife can travel,” said Alonso Abugattas, the county’s natural resources manager. Arlington officials have for years sought proof of coyotes, setting up cameras in wild areas and encouraging the public to send in snapshots of suspect animals. Most of those photos turned out to be dogs or foxes with mange.
“Coyotes are not uncommon,” Abugattas said. “They are spreading very much throughout Virginia and even the District. But they are incredibly elusive and we have not been able to get evidence.”
Until now.
Abugattas said residents shouldn’t be alarmed by the coyote’s presence. There probably isn’t more than a few of them and they typically avoid humans, he said.
Still, coyotes have been known to eat smaller cats and dogs that wander into their territory, though “they’re not going to be jumping over fences and eating people’s dogs,” Abugattas said.
The county doesn’t view coyotes as a threat, he said.
“This is not unexpected. This is nothing to be fearful about,” Abugattas said. “It’s just another neat thing that’s turned up in nature. They may be new to us, but they certainly have been around in this landscape for quite a long time.”
