Coyote howls greet ambulances in 40th Ward

• Reprints

Residents of the North Side Budlong Woods neighborhood are probably used to the sound of the sirens of ambulances heading to Swedish Covenant Hospital, but recently there has been an accompaniment to those sirens which has startled some.

According to an alert on Ald. Patrick O’Connor’s (40th) website, many residents of the Budlong Woods area, which is approximately at Foster and California, have reported multiple sightings of coyotes. Additionally, residents have reported what sounds like a chorus of coyotes howling in response to ambulance sirens at nearby Swedish Covenant Hospital, the alderman’s website said.

Residents are advised that small animals, even in fenced-in yards, can become prey to coyotes, so they should be kept an eye on while they’re outside.

Though coyotes generally hunt between sunset and sunrise, they can be seen at all hours of the day and night. The city does not trap or “disable” coyotes, according to the alderman’s office, so residents are encouraged to be cautious should they encounter one.

Coyotes had all but vanished from the Chicago area by the end of the 19th century, before making a comeback in recent years.