Coyotes Make a Home in DC
BLITZER: Here's a look at this hour's "Hot Shots." In Georgia, a young man jumps over a bone fire at a festival ritual. In North Korea, female soldiers stand guard while awaiting a controversial rocket launch. In India, devotees carry human remains to appease a Hindu God. And in Rome, men dressed in Roman costumes protest the ban on posing with tourists in front of the Coliseum. "Hot Shots," pictures coming in from around the world. Democrats and Republicans alike are making room for a new breed here in Washington, this one without any political baggage. CNN's Tom Foreman has details on the growing trend of coyotes, not just in the nation's capital, but in cities around the country.</s>TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just a few miles from the White House in this popular Woodland Park, wildlife officials are thrilled by their latest discovery. It is only 5 seconds of video, but solid proof that coyotes have taken the capital.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know around there, like in this area.</s>FOREMAN: The images were captured by a camera in the trees by this 15-year-old Spanish exchange student.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know there were coyotes here. I've took pictures of foxes a bunch of times. So yes, a fox or a big dog or something.</s>FOREMAN (on camera): That's what it was.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.</s>FOREMAN (voice-over): Wildlife officials were surprised too, to find a coyote in such a busy area.</s>MARTIN OGELE, NORTHERN VIRGINIA REGIONAL PARK AUTHORITY: We got probably 20,000 to 25,000 people in the park every year, maybe more, we don't know exactly. So there are definitely people on these trails all the time.</s>FOREMAN: And yet in some way, that discovery was expected. Coyotes have been expanding from their western ranges for many years adapting to suburban and urban environments where face no major predators like wolves and thrive on small rodents such as rats. In Chicago, more than 600 have been tagged. Caught on video dodging traffic, racing through shopping districts, and yet one of the nation's top coyote experts, Stan Gehrt at Ohio State, admits they remain elusive.</s>STAN GEHRT, WILDLIFE ECOLOGIST, OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY: We have no idea how many coyotes there are in north America. It is a pretty safe assumption though, I think to say that there are probably more coyotes now than there has been in the past historically, and that's continuing to increase.</s>FOREMAN: Part of the issue is that like the old cartoon suggests, coyotes are wily. They pose little threat to people because with rare exceptions, they avoid human contact. Still, even if we don't see them, our pets might and keeping them safe as the coyote population booms may require vigilance.</s>MEGAN DRAHEIM, COYOTE RESEARCHER: That means keeping dogs on leashes in areas there might be coyotes, keeping small dogs and cats, not letting them go outside at night if they're unattended.</s>FOREMAN: A warning that people here had better heed.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wouldn't let my poodle out at night.</s>FOREMAN: Because Wildlife officials say now that coyotes are calling D.C. home, they're unlikely to ever leave. Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.</s>BLITZER: That does it for me. Thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM. The news continues next on CNN.