Chief Animal Control Officer Steve Baranek said there have been two confirmed coyote sightings in Gloucester in recent weeks.

The animals, he said, were found at the head of Ware Neck Road and on Route 17 near Enos Road. Both times the coyotes had been mistaken for dogs. He said that Gloucester Animal Control does not deal with wildlife such as coyotes on a regular basis, but that this misidentification led to the department’s involvement in the cases.

According to Baranek, residents should contact the Virginia Conservation Police with similar wildlife concerns. He went on to say that while his office does work with the Gloucester County Sheriff’s Office and Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries on occasion, it is only at the request of those departments. 

Gloucester Animal Control encourages residents to call the State Wildlife Hotline at 1-855-571-9003 with any concerns about coyotes or similar wildlife. ...