Greenwood Village officials have hired a contractor to shoot aggressive coyotes whose population is thriving amid the mild winter and plentiful food in the upscale enclave.

In late December, a young boy was "stalked and then charged by a menacing coyote as he walked through Westlands Park," according to staff report to the city council.

The boy fended off the coyote and escaped unscathed, police Lt. Ed Rossmeisl said today.

In another incident, "a pack of coyotes (were) surrounding a man in his backyard," who also was not injured, the city report said.

At a special Thursday meeting, the city council approved hiring contractor, Animal Damage Control, to thin the coyote population with carefully controlled hunting.

The council also OK'd the city seeking trapping permits from the Tri-County Health Department.

While a voter-approved state constitutional amendment generally outlawed leg-hold trapping of wildlife, authorities can authorize such trapping when "aggressive coyotes" threaten the public, the city report said.

Rossmeisl said police have noticed an increase in "cats and small dogs disappearing," a problem that's been attributed to opportunistic coyotes for years.

The "abundance of coyotes" is linked to plentiful food, water and shelter and recent mild winters.

Police have long advised village residents to report when they spot coyotes, if their pets are threatened or harmed and, especially, "if they encounter an aggressive coyote that doesn't appear to have any fear of humans," he said.

Police document the reports to help the contractor target coyote hot spots and officers respond to any reports of aggressive predators.

"Our police officers aren't trained to go out and hunt coyotes," Rossmeisl said. "So what we do is hire a licensed professional who knows what he's doing."

The city will also use cable television announcements and meetings with homeowner associations to educate the public about how to protect themselves and their pets and to avoid feeding coyotes.

Feeding wild critters is a violation of city ordinances and officers will ticket any animal lovers who feed coyotes.