PRINCETON, N.J. (AP) — Princeton's animal control advisory committee has decided against hiring sharpshooters to hunt coyotes.

The town will start collecting information about the animals instead. It will also instruct residents on how to keep coyotes away from their homes and how to protect their pets.

Council President Bernie Miller tells The Times of Trenton the committee's research showed eradicating coyotes from hotspots in suburban areas proves fairly ineffective because new populations of coyotes just move in.

The town has received numerous complaints about two packs of an estimated 80 coyotes in recent years.

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Information from: The (Trenton, N.J.) Times, www.nj.com/times