Coyotes kill goat on Upper Freehold farm
DEP official provides tips on how to protect property from predators

UPPER FREEHOLD - While bears have received a lot of attention in recent years, another large predatory animal is making a comeback in New Jersey.

According to Karen Hershey, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), there have been recent sightings of coyotes in all 21 Garden State counties.

In 2000, the state population of coyotes was estimated to be 2,000, and Hershey said that number may have grown to about 3,000 by now.

"The general feeling is that the population is increasing," she said.

This summer, Greater Media Newspapers published an article about Dr. Joanne Bicknese and her goat herd at Locustwood Farm in Upper Freehold Township. Bicknese said a coyote recently killed one of her 2-year-old goats, which happened to be pictured in the paper.

Bicknese said she did not actually see coyotes, but has seen their excrement in the field where the goat was killed.

The goat that was killed was pregnant and carrying two kids, she said. Bicknese said the goat is the first livestock kill she is aware of in the area.

According to Bicknese, coyotes typically grab the throat of their prey and suffocate it.

Since the kill on her property, Bicknese has made her fencing more secure to make it more difficult for coyotes to get to her goats.

"I guess the coyote decided it was easier to kill my goat than a deer," she said.

As another deterrent, she will soon have a donkey join her goat herd for protection. Both llamas and donkeys will protect sheep and goats from canids, she said.

Bicknese said she understands the coyotes have to eat, but would prefer that they eat elsewhere.

"This will be a challenging wildlife management issue in the future, as [coyotes] look for more and easier prey when their populations increase," she said. "We have been lucky up to this point, but I think those days are over."

Bill Blume, of Upper Freehold, said he has seen coyotes in the area twice in recent months. He spotted one at the corner of Burlington Path and Millers Mill roads and another by the Cream Ridge Winery on Route 539.

Blume, who has pet goats, has been keeping them inside at night as a precaution.

Robins Bruins, who has sheep and goats on her Red Valley Road farm in Cream Ridge, said a coyote gave birth to four pups on her property two years ago.

"She was feet away from a crop of young lambs and ewes and never touched any of them," Bruins said. "I

was told by Fish and Game that she was probably a good hunter and didn't need my lambs."

Bruins said the family of coyotes left her property within a week and she has seen no evidence of them since.

"It is a huge concern," Bruins said.

Robin Meirs and her family have sheep on their Concorde Stud Farm on Harvey Road. When coyote appearances seemed to be on the rise in the area, her family purchased a guard llama to protect the sheep.

"[The llama] does not differentiate between domestic dogs and coyotes, and I have seen him go after a dog," Meirs said. "I would not want to be on the receiving end of his fury were I a wandering coyote."

Elsewhere in Upper Freehold, Stone Tavern resident Joe Mauer said he spotted a coyote in his development about a year ago.

"It appeared to have come out of a high grass area on Babbitt Way and was walking across Babbitt Way in a northern direction," he said.

Dianne Kelly, of Upper Freehold, said her husband, Richard, saw a couple of coyotes near Millers Mill Road in the area known as Sugar Loaf Hill.

"He feels confident they would be in the Assunpink [Wildlife Management Area] as well," she said.

Kelly said she hopes that the naturally occurring wildlife in the area would be enough to satisfy coyotes' appetites.

"But as building new houses continues to erode available habitat, all of our wildlife is squeezed into ever decreasingly sized areas and we are seeing more wildlife sharing our backyards than ever before," she said.

Carol Strommen, of Monroe, who regularly rides her horse in the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area, said she recently saw two dead coyotes in the area that were apparently hit by cars.

Upper Freehold Deputy Mayor William Miscoski said he has seen coyotes all over the township when he is hunting.

In nearby Millstone Township, Committeeman Elias Abilheira said he saw a coyote chasing a young fawn in his backyard last spring.

While neighboring Roosevelt has had regular visits from bears for the past several years, none of the residents queried about coyotes reported seeing any evidence of the animals in the borough.

However, Roosevelt Mayor Beth Battel said she saw a coyote in the Cream Ridge section of Upper Freehold about 12 years ago.

Hershey said coyotes feed on a variety of wildlife. She warned against feeding pets outside and also advised keeping a yard well manicured and without habitats for mice, rabbits and other rodents.

Although she has not received reports of coyotes eating cats and small dogs, these types of incidents have been reported in other parts of the country. For this reason, she recommended keeping pets indoors.

Hershey said although coyotes are nocturnal, they are also active at twilight and in the early morning hours. Motion lights and good fencing deter coyotes, she said.