Coping with the Urban Coyote
(From the County of Los Angeles Agricultural Commissioner/Weight & Measures - http://acwm.co.la.ca.us/scripts/coyo.htm#Back)
How do I know if I have seen a coyote?
This native member of the dog family closely resembles a medium-size German shepherd dog except it has an elongated snout and bushy, black-tipped tail, which is carried down as it runs. There are thousands of coyotes in Los Angeles County, so sightings are common. The coyote's larger relative, the wolf, does not occur anywhere in Los Angeles County. At night, the coyote's high-pitched, yodel-like yapping can frequently be heard. Many people who are unfamiliar with their almost hyena-like yapping incorrectly think they are hearing animals being killed by coyotes at night. (You can listen to coyote sounds at the Web site above.)
Some dos and don'ts
DO feed pets indoors or promptly remove dishes when pets complete their meal outside. Store bags of pet food indoors.
DO clear brush and dense weeds from around property. This deprives rodents of shelter and reduces protective cover for coyotes. Use traps and rodenticides, if needed, to control rodents.
DO use trash barrels equipped with tight clamping devices on the lids, which will prevent spills should they be tipped over by large animals.
DO try to educate your friends and neighbors about the problems associated with feeding coyotes. If you belong to a homeowner's association or neighborhood watch, bring up the subject during one of the meetings.
DON'T feed or provide water for coyotes or other wild life. This practice abnormally attracts coyotes and promotes increased numbers of rodents, birds, snakes, and other creatures that can provide major portions of the coyote's natural diet.
It is against the law for residents of Los Angeles County to feed coyotes, and certain other wild mammals. (County Code: Section 10.84.010)
DON'T put trash cans out the night before scheduled pick-up. Put them out in the morning. This will give coyotes less time to scavenge, and they won't have the cover of darkness. Coyotes are mainly active at night or twilight.
DON'T use plastic bags as garbage containers. Coyotes can readily rip them open and scatter the contents.
To protect pets
Construct six-foot fences with extenders facing outward at the top of each post. (Extenders can be purchased from local fence dealers.) Install two or three stands of wire, extending out at an angle for about 14 inches, completely around fence. This prevents the coyotes from easily climbing. All fences should have some sort of galvanized wire apron buried at least 4 to 6 inches in the ground, which extends out from the fence at least 15 to 20 inches. The apron should be securely attached to the bottom of the fence. Coyotes are very adept diggers and prefer to dig under fences rather than jump them.
Keep small pets (cats, rabbits, small dogs) indoors. Don't allow them to run free at any time. They are easy, favored prey. Some coyotes hunt cats in residential areas.
Large dogs should be brought inside after dark and never allowed to run loose.
Don't leave domestic pet food outside. Wildlife will soon depend upon it.
To protect poultry and rabbits
Run chicken wire from the bottom of chicken coop fence, out about a foot, parallel to the ground. Secure it well. Or bury cinder blocks under fence around the coop. Outfit a rabbit hutch with a solid bottom. A hutch standing above ground, with only a wire bottom, makes your rabbit an easy target.
Above all, protect children
Never leave small children unattended in areas where coyotes are known to be, even in your yard.
If you have carefully followed the suggestions in this list, but continue to have coyote problems, contact the L.A. County Agricultural Commissioner / Weights & Measures department. The department may be able to help with other wildlife problems, as well. Call (626) 575-5462 for more information.
Escape Editor
jwalker@the-signal.com
Posted: July 3, 2009 3:02 p.m.
Personally, I don't enjoy being startled out of a deep, 2 a.m. sleep by the sound of coyotes shredding a cat. The cat sets up quite a fuss, until it finally gives up the ghost, at which point the coyotes all set up a brag. This scenario has played out several times on the hillside behind my home over the years, most recently just a few weeks ago. It kind of makes it hard to go back to sleep.
Fortunately, there are few, if any, surviving cats in my neighborhood, which butts up against the wild. It's only when someone new moves in, who doesn't know that you don't let your cat outside - especially at night -that the coyotes find an easy feast.
Cats get outside the yard, that is a given. However, coyotes sometimes get into the yard. And, in my neighborhood, anyone who has a small dog either brings it inside at night or loses a lot of sleep. In fact, my last HOA newsletter mentioned a coyote had taken a puppy from a yard. (Some say a six foot wall is no obstacle for a hungry coyote.)
Aside from pet murder, coyotes, I think, enjoy keeping you up at night. A couple weeks ago, again at 2 a.m., two of them decided to do karaoke on the hill for about a half hour. I started wishing for a hand grenade.
Yeah it's nature, yeah we're encroaching on the animals' habitat. I get it. But we call the cops for a loud party don't we? Where are the coyote cops? I think these animals fall under "gang" laws and the crimes they do, being inter-species, could be classified as hate crimes. Well that's how I feel at 2 a.m., anyway.
Fortunately, those in the know have a more realistic outlook toward coyotes. Sherlan Neblett, the deputy commissioner/sealer with the County of Los Angeles Agricultural Commissioner/Weights & Measures, feels that coyotes are, "intelligent, interesting animals," and that when people are educated about them, and take proper precautions, we can coexist with them.
The ACWM is the entity that deals with coyote issues in the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County, and in some cities that contract with the agency. "I'm in the pest management division," Neblett said (though she doesn't feel coyotes are "pests.") "I have a field staff that deals with coyote issues."
If you live in an unincorporated area of the county and have a serious coyote problem, you can call the ACWM. Same if you live in a contract city. If you live in a city that doesn't contract with the ACWM, you can still get information from them. "We will offer advice and suggestions," Neblett said.
FYI: Representatives of the city of Santa Clarita indicated folks inside the city limits would call the ACWM. However, Neblett said there was no official contract with the city. If the need arises, you might call ACWM to find out what your next step is.)
So what constitutes a "serious coyote problem"? Neblett said that depends on many factors, but a coyote that is merely annoying is not a serious problem - one that acts aggressive is.
She said the coyote's natural behavior is to avoid people and not threaten them. However, "If you really feel threatened by a coyote or one is attacking a child or something, call the local law enforcement."
Neblett said, "Coyotes will always be there. They have survived well in the urban environment. People need to be educated on how to reduce coyote/human interactions."
Our accompanying sidebar, Coping with the Urban Coyote, offers information about coyotes and tips on how to deal with them. Neblett added her own emphasis for some of them.
"Do not feed coyotes," she said. (It is illegal, by the way.) She explained that, in years past, coyotes were much more afraid of humans, but now they associate them with food. "Don't leave food sources out, like pet food, and pick up dropped fruit regularly," she said.
Neblett offered that feeding other wildlife that might be prey for coyotes is also a bad idea. That includes feeding feral cats.
Sources of water, such as puddles left after landscape watering, also attract coyotes.
"Keep pets in at night," and clear away brush around your home," she added. The brush provides hiding places for coyotes and for their natural prey.
A good, tall fence can keep coyotes out of your yard, and Neblett said there are several types of fences that make it harder for coyotes to get over them, such as those with rollers on top. (She suggested looking online if you are interested in these.)
While taking proper precautions will reduce coyote interactions, Neblett reminded that, "Coyotes are a natural part of our environment. Even if we took them all out, they would come back into that niche. People need to coexist with them as much as possible."
Well, OK, but I'd at least like to set up a coyote curfew.
You can reach the ACWM at (626) 575-5462 (they are closed nights, Fridays, weekends and holidays). For more information visit the Web site, www.acwm.lacounty.gov. Put your cursor over "Urban Meets Wild" and then click on "Coyote."
For more information on coyotes and other wildlife in Los Angeles County, visit the L.A. County Animal Care and Control Web site, http://animalcare.lacounty.gov/.
Visit Keep Me Wild, www.dfg.ca.gov/keepmewild/ for more information on wild animals.
Report any coyote incident or coyote damage to University of California - Coyote Bytes, www.coyotebytes.org/.
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