Coyotes running amok in our cities pose challenges here's 13 ways to deal with them.

Song Dog.

Song Dog is the name our First Nation gave to the Coyote, Coyotl is the Aztec name, Canis latrans the scientific name it bears. Canis latrans translates to "Barking Dog", it's a good tag for them, they can be heard throughout the country after dark. Sporting long snouts, busy tails slung low with a black tip, and an appearance resembling an underfed German Shepard. The Song Dog is in the news again, this time the residents of San Francisco are on the alert. They have lived there for the past untold centuries and have never left, they have adapted to living among people, now the people must learn to live with them. Occupying Golden Gate Park they are doing fairly well scavenging in the alleys, yards, and parks of that iconic city.

Female Coyotes are smaller than the males, mating in February with the birth of 5-10 pups occurring in late May and early June. They live with their parents until reaching the ripe age of 7-8 months after having experienced all of the education they need to be on their own. When they attain 10 weeks of age they begin to hunt with the parents. Working year round they do not hibernate and are active day and night, sightings at dawn and dusk are common.

Having phenomenal hearing, smell, and vision (many canines have poor eyesight), they hunt solo or in pairs. It is common to observe two of them together in the open fields and crossing roads. Being adaptable they develop hunting skills to match the habitat they claim as "theirs", they are territorial, working actively keeping non-family members at bay. They will at times hunt in teams taking turns chasing their prey.

While working in a remote part of the San Joaquin Valley 30 years ago I observed a display of Coyotes hunting Jack Rabbits. There are plenty of both species on the West Side of the big valley, I worked on a 180-acre power plant site, there are still acres of empty land. Four Ranches met in one corner of the property, a dump site was shared by all, including wildlife. Each night at dusk while the dust was hanging in the air we would see the Jack Rabbits congregate to eat the foliage. Shortly after, the Coyotes would slowly begin to appear two or more at a time, advancing slowly they would form a circle around the long-eared prey. The rabbits did not appear to notice them, the Song Dogs are old hands at this, but I thought the rabbits should have been also. Suddenly some unseen, and unknown signal alerted them the time was ripe to attack. So much action and commotion turning up the dust so thick neither the hunters nor the hunted could be seen. One would think that after many years of this going on night after night, the Jack Rabbits would learn, but all they did was get faster however not fast enough.

A Coyote family.

Watching them is seen as many people as a benefit of living near their habitat, it is a mixed experience, such as where I live. Across the river is a large cattle pasture, normally between 150-200 head graze year round. Coyotes are seen and heard after dark baying and howling, it is a haunting sound, it's enjoyable watching them for me, but the Rancher has a different viewpoint. Rightfully so as with everything in life, there are two sides to a coin, to him they are predators and to me something to look at. It is an active Ranch, meaning the Cows have calves continually, the Coyotes will prey on the small ones, the Rancher must protect them. He has a substantial investment in the livestock, normally it represents nearly their entire worth, he cannot afford to lose one calf.

They are opportunistic eaters, whatever is available and easy to get access to constitutes a meal. Feeding on fruits, berries, rodents, insects, and birds they are scavengers as well. In Cities and Suburbs garbage cans, pet food, trash dumps, and yards supply the bulk of their diet. Much is made of them preying on small pets, which is true but it may be a surprise how little they comprise of the total diet. Domestic Cats in L.A. county comprise 8% of their diet, pet dogs are much more difficult to determine. Dogs have DNA similar to Coyotes which makes it impossible to distinguish from the Song Dogs.

Follow this Link for an explanation of the study in L.A.

All of the Coyotes activities intertwine with finding their next meal, with that in mind here are some good practices to use to make our property less attractive to them.

1)  Don't feed them, as with most wild animals it will only encourage them to come back for an easy meal

2)  Never approach them or attempt to pet them, if you see pups stay clear, wildlife parents are extremely protective of their young.

3)  Keep pet food indoors the odors it emits will attract not only Coyotes but our eternal buddies the dreaded Racoon.

4)  Trashcans will be knocked over and need to be secured, a bungee cord works well, the idea is to secure the lid.

5)  Seal off the house, access to crawl spaces under the structure must be addressed, they have no problem using it for a den.

6)  Coyotes size everything up with the eyes of a predator which means our pets, especially the small dogs and cats, don't leave them outdoors unattended. Birds of prey are also a concern.

7)  When raising Rabbits and Chickens the hutches must have a solid bottom with wire fence fabric buried one foot deep around the perimeter, use heavy wire, chicken wire will not serve well.

8)  Keep fruit trees clean, pick as soon as it is ripe, rotten fruit on the ground will attract them keeping it cleaned up is to our advantage.

9)  Trim and clear shrubbery, it will give them a place to hide of which they may inhabit. Fire safety is another benefit of keeping a clear 100-foot perimeter.

10) Regular visitors can be discouraged with noise, lights, human recordings (talking), mothballs scattered around, and ammonia-soaked rags. Loud bangs, motion lights, and large dogs (large) are effective.

11)  Spay and neuter your pet dogs, it's nature and it will attract them.

12)  Trapping and relocating is illegal, there are exceptions, but not in suburban or cities environments. Inquiring with the State fish and game will answer all questions.

13)  Working with the neighbors will realize the best results, if we all use these 13 points it will help to keep them away from our sensitive living areas.

Jack Rabbits, large ears and fast.

Living in an urban or city alongside Coyotes is a challenge at times, with effort and consistency it can easily be less demanding. If a Song Dog is sighted in the yard or a park the proper reaction is to give them room, do not turn and run, as with any predator, they will chase you. When living in a rural area it pays dividends to understand the plight of the Ranchers, they must go about their business to protect the livestock. Whether we agree or not following the laws and regulations governing interactions with wildlife must be maintained on an individual basis. The price is too steep for not, we do not want to experience the wrath of the Federal Government when it comes to dealing with wildlife protected or not.

Thank you for reading and sharing my blog, we will do well to remember that all of us on this earth are struggling for the same end, survival, it's no different for the wild animals that we share our environment with. Thanks to  www.nativeanimalrescue.org for providing references.

JacquesLebec   Emergencykitsplus.com