Stephanie Koenig is being a little more cautious when she takes her dogs on evening walks in her Timonium neighborhood ever since a deer fawn died in her front yard as the result of an apparent coyote attack.

Koenig and Brewer, one of her two dogs, were walking through her Coachford neighborhood July 20 just before 10 p.m. when a stranger from the neighboring apartment complex warned her about the dead deer in her yard.

The man told her he had seen a wild dog attack the fawn, which at that point was sprawled on her lawn and barely alive.

"To me, they have never been a problem," Koenig said of the six or seven deer that she sees regularly in the small wooded area behind her home. "To have a beast out there killing them ..."

Koenig said the fawn had severe wounds on its back and hind legs but appeared to initially survive the attack.

"It looked like the coyote attacked the animal and was going to eat it and got scared off by the guy from the apartment complex," Koenig said.

The fawn even attempted, unsuccessfully, to get back on its feet and run off. By the time police arrived, the animal had died of its wounds.

Koenig said she was thankful that she didn't see the attack.

"That would have haunted me forever," she said.

The attack was confirmed through calls to 911, and a spokeswoman for the county Health Department said animal control employees picked up a deer carcass July 21 near the Chetwood Circle home.

State wildlife officials couldn't speak to the specifics of the July 20 incident, but said they aren't surprised by reported coyote sightings in Baltimore County.

Coyotes are "well established in every county in Maryland," according to Paul Peditto, director of the state's Wildlife and Heritage Service.

In addition to the sighting in Timonium, coyotes have been reported in Towson, Parkville and Catonsville.

"They're very good at adapting to living in the open spaces between our houses," Peditto said.

And the animal has a place in the state's environment, he added.

"Just because they are a sharp-toothed predator doesn't mean they aren't a valuable member of the ecosystem," Peditto said. "They fill a niche abandoned long ago by other canine and feline predators."

But Peditto acknowledged the public "would rather have little bunnies; they're cuter."

Coyotes tend to be solitary animals with a diet that ranges from berries to small, fur-bearing animals, which can include the occasional small dog left tied up in a backyard. They tend to look for quick, convenient meals, according to Peditto.

"This is an animal that works in a very efficient way," he said.

Sickly deer and fawns can be a target for a hungry coyote, but "150-pound adult male deer are not one their menu choices in suburban Maryland," said Peditto, who added the predators are likely to be "harmless to people that leave them alone. If we don't give them any reason, they'll leave us alone."

Koenig said she's still being a little more cautious when out for evening walks with her dogs. She's looking around a lot more at night, but she's not changing her routine if she can help it.

"I don't want to be scared living here," she said. "I'm not going to let it control my life."

user comments (6)

user rbhightor says...

I'd be more scared of the humans in your community.....

Posted 7:52 AM, 08.15.08

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user veggiegardener says...

One more reason to allow the Loch Raven deer hunt to proceed as planned. Or is it OK to see the results of a coyote attack as opposed to humans providing food for a hungry family? The deer population will be controlled one way or another - without the hunt, we allow the provision of food for a burgeoning coyote population, any of which may not draw a distinction between your three year old daughter and a fawn. A hunter is likely going to do a bit better than that. Feel better now?

Posted 4:51 PM, 08.16.08

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user rbhightor says...

amen Veggiegardener, : now I lay me down to sleep , I count deer instead of sheep, and pray my arrows all shoot straight, so bambi burgers will fill my plate. amen

Posted 2:23 PM, 08.28.08

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user janetsu78 says...

I live in Parkville/south Woodcroft just inside the beltway where Old Harford Rd. crosses over. We have red foxes in the neighborhood and this past weekend saw a coyote in our back yard (at first thought it was an awful big, scraggly looking fox). I'm keeping my camera handy and will send a picture if I can get one. Another neighbor has seen the coyote in his back yard in the early dawn hours.

Posted 9:18 PM, 01.19.09

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user crazysanman says...

I live in Parkville inside the beltway (near Villa Cresta Elementary) and I have seen many coyotes in my neighborhood. They pose no threat to people. Your neighbors dog is much more likely to attack you than a coyote is.

Posted 9:10 AM, 01.26.09

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user stevetowson says...

crazysanman, I agree if we're talking about adults. Small children, and even those as old as 9-10 might not know the difference in a coyote, and a dog, and end up in a bad way with a coyotefor that reason. What happens when some well meaning kids try to rescue a stray coyote?

Posted 11:02 AM, 01.26.09

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