CALL OF WILD SUBURBIA: Recent sightings of wild predators in the Princeton area has sparked talk of wolves spreading into Trenton from Princeton, where one urban myth contends they have been let loose in an attempt to control the deer population. Mayor Lempert emphatically denies any such method of deer control. It’s thought that the animals might have been coyotes like the one shown here on the Coyote Fact Sheet available on the municipal website at www.princetonnj.gov.

April 1 is still some weeks away, but it looked as though it had come early when it was reported in the media that a Trenton City Councilman told his fellow Council members that he had received reports of wolves in the city.

According to at least one newspaper report, George Muschal, who served as Trenton’s acting mayor for a time, said: “The information that I received is that Prince-ton put them out there to eliminate some of the deer population and they’re coming down the railroad tracks into Trenton.”

“I had to laugh when I was asked about the possibility of Princeton using wolves to cull the deer herd,” said Princeton Mayor Liz Lempert Monday. “We have a very professional deer management program and it doesn’t involve wolves,” she said.

In Princeton, a coyote was spotted in the vicinity of Library Place and Westcott Road at around 8:45 a.m. on Thursday, February 12. According to Princeton Police, the animal was not aggressive.

“Still coyotes can be scary, especially if you have small pets, and it is possible that someone might mistake a coyote for a wolf,” said Ms. Lempert.

The only place to see wolves in New Jersey these days, however, is in the Lakota Wolf Preserve in Northern New Jersey at 89 Mount Pleasant Road in Columbia, which offers guided tours and opportunities for wildlife photographers. The Preserve is currently closed because of the weather (www.lakotawolf.com).

Anyone who sees a coyote, is told to avoid contact with the animal and report the sighting to the Princeton Police Department (PPD) at (609) 921-2100.

According to Princeton Animal Control Officer Mark Johnson as relayed via Sgt. Steve Riccitello of the PPD, “Coyotes do not hibernate. The increased sightings are likely because they’re hungry and looking for food, along with the fact that it’s their mating season.”

The same source stated that wolves are not native to New Jersey and exist mainly north in Canada and perhaps some northern tier states which border Canada. “Some of the larger coyotes may be confused with a wolf, but there are no known [wild] wolves in New Jersey.”

The municipality has posted a Coyote Factsheet on its website at www.princetonnj.gov. The fact sheet (http://princetonnj.gov/notices/Coyote_Facts.pdf) alerts residents to the presence of coyotes in the area and states that coyotes have been expanding in range across the country over the last century. Unlike wolves, coyotes are present in every state except for Hawaii. Their main food sources are rabbits, mice, and other small mammals when available, but they can also eat carrion, garbage, fruit, berries, insects, vegetables, almost anything. As scavengers, coyotes act as garbage collectors, cleaning up carrion in the parks and on the roads.

Somewhat like small German shepherds in appearance, coyotes tend to be most active around dawn and dusk or during the night in urban areas, but healthy animals can be seen during the day as well.

They have wide pointed ears; a long narrow snout; and a bushy tail which they carry low to the ground, not up in the air like a dog, or straight back like a wolf. “They are on average 3 feet long and 1½ feet tall, weighing 20 to 50 pounds. Color varies widely but tends toward gray or tan on the back, occasionally rusty or dark brown, with a lighter chest and belly,” according to the fact sheet, which also states that there is “little to fear from wild coyotes, as long as an appropriate distance is maintained.”

To be on the safe side, residents, especially pet owners, are advised not to feed coyotes or leave pet food out in the yard. Pets should be kept on a leash to protect them from injury and encounters with coyote feces, which can contain worms. It is wise to keep a close watch on pets in the yard, particularly at night, near dawn or at dusk if coyotes are thought to be nearby.

The fact sheet also points out a number of benefits provided by coyotes, such as controlling rodents and the number of rabbits and woodchucks that not only destroy native wildflowers and shrubs but also suburban gardens.