Potentially Dangerous Animal Spotted in Hudson Valley Town

A potentially dangerous animal was spotted terrorizing homes, a business and more in the Hudson Valley.

On Monday around 9 a.m., an animal that resembles a coyote-wolf, or coywolf, was seen outside Townsquare Media Hudson Valley in the Town of Poughkeespie.

The animal was spotted just outside the back entrance to the Poughkeepsie business. The animal was later seen near a few Poughkeepsie homes and headed up Pendell Road towards Dutchess Community College.

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As we previously reported, the Clarkstown Police Department confirmed a coywolf was recently spotted near the border of Rockland and Orange counties.

If you compare photos of the confirmed coywolf in Rockland County and the animal seen in Dutchess County, they appear similar.

Marko Kos of Chaos Wildlife Solutions also confirmed that the animal seen in Rockland County was a coywolf. He told CBS that all eastern coyotes have some wolf DNA due to crossbreeding in the wild.

Messages to Chaos Wildlife Solutions regarding the animal spotted in Dutchess County weren't returned to Hudson Valley Post as of this writing.

The eastern coyote, which is also known as a coywolf, live in the northeast, from New Jersey to Maine, according to Clarkstown police.

The coywolf is larger than western coyotes and may pose a threat to pets or humans, CBS reports.

The coywolf was also spotted by a number of Hudson Valley residents around Rockland County.

On Facebook, Clarkstown police posted what to do and not do if you run into coywolf:

DO chase them away and make noise (bang pots and pans) if you don’t want them in your yard. Of course, if you don’t mind them then watch them from a window quietly as to not scare them away.
DO make noise when you are outside especially if coyotes are often in your area
DO NOT feed coyotes or other animals. Even if you are feeding birds (e.g., suet) or other animals (like raccoons) coyotes will be attracted to your yard just like any other animal looking for an easy handout.
DO NOT feed your pets outside for the same reason as #3.
Just as importantly, DO NOT let your neighbors feed wildlife. Coyotes travel tremendous distances and a coyote regularly coming to your neighbor’s yard for a free handout will surely pass through your yard to get there. A habituated coyote is a potential problem coyote.
Absolutely DO NOT let your cat outside if you are truly concerned with its health. Coyotes are just one of many mortality factors for outdoor cats.
DO leash your dogs. Although coyotes may follow a leashed dog out of curiosity (to the concern of the person), it is extremely rare for them to actually get make contact with your pet.
DO try to minimize your conflicts with these creatures by following these simple precautions.

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