coyotes: wild and free on the urban...
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Coyotes:Wild and free on the urban interface
Dana SanchezExtension Wildlife Specialist
Coyotes in legend and culture
CoyoteCanis latrans
• Canis latrans = “barking dog”• 20-45 lbs
– Males larger than females– Eastern (U.S.) larger than Western
• Coat –Mix of black, brown, & buff with black tail tip– Lighter undersides (countershading)– Highly variable among regions
Ecological role(s) and diet• Predators• Opportunistic omnivores• Scavengers
• Diet:– Small mammals: vole size to small
fawns– Fruits & vegetables– Carrion– Large insects– Pet food, bird seed, & garbage, when
available
Social behavior and communication
http://www.soundboard.com/sb/Wild_Coyote_sounds.aspx
• Single, pairs, groups (up to 22), and territorial packs (3-7)•Advanced communication
•Up to 11 vocalizations•Secretive by nature •Crepuscular (most active dawn and dusk, also at night)•Easily adapt/habituate to humans and urban setting
Geographic range
Family matters• Avg litter ~ 6 pups• Pregnancies in OR anytime
between January-end of April– Peaks early March – midApril– 60 day gestation
• Pups esp. vulnerable to predation aged 3-10 weeks– Raptors, other coyotes,
roadkill (as they get more mobile)
• <50% might survive to their first July
Energy demands in the annual life cycle
• Breeding peaks Feb-March• Pups nursing for 1st month• 2mo old pups moving
around, needing meat diet + milk
• *Pup rearing is season of greatest demands & potential for conflict with humans
• 6 mos old – Parents teaching pups to hunt– Late summer- Pups most
vulnerable to learning that humans might 1) provide food & 2)are not always “scary”
• Stay at home or disperse?– Young coyotes strike out on
own or join parental group in October-November
Coyote management through time• Persecuted with goal of total elimination
– European settlement -1970s– Poisons, hunting, explosives, burning, later-aerial
gunning– Costly, never achieved total control– Artificially selected for more intelligent, wary
animals– Often created high birthrate populations of young,
fertile animals
Coyote management through time• Shift to more efficient means of reducing
livestock losses– Reduce deaths among non-target (other species)– Target specific, problem animals or groups– Reduce risk of INFLATING reproductive rate– More sustainable methods to reduce losses: guard
dogs, fence, herding– Livestock costs still borne by individual operators– Positive (?): Helping control overabundant urban
deer
On the urban interface
• Concerns for:– Human safety– Safety of pets– Effects on other wildlife– Aggressive behavior– Property destruction– Disease
What have we created? The urbanized coyote
• High survival rates• Small home ranges• Avoid people & autos by
shifting to night activity• Relative avoidance of
development (?)• Opportunistic predators and
scavengers– Pet food & garbage as avail.– NOT dependent on pred. of
pets
• Select relatively “natural” areas for dens
• Have no natural predators or competitors– Autos an unnatural but
significant source of mortality
Habituation can be deadly, damaging, and dangerous
• “Fed bears are dead bears”• A wild animal is always a wild animal• Habituation often centers on food
– Decreased fear of humans• Decreased flight distances
– Increased aggressiveness for food or space– Competition/elimination of domestic “competitors”– Disease or waste products– Prey species attract predators– Other risks…
Signs of habituation that have preceded coyote attacks on humans
• Increased sightings on streets & in yards at night
• Increase in approaches to adults &/or taking pets
• Daylight observances– Esp. chasing or taking pets
and/or other human-subsidized food sources
• Attacking pets on leashes, or rushing joggers, or cyclists
• Daytime presence in children’s playgrounds
• Coyote shows of aggression during day
Proactive coyote management• Do not feed them• Eliminate water sources• Eliminate opportunities
from bird seed spillage, etc.• Secure all edible garbage• Feed pets indoors &/or store
all leftovers/supply indoors• Eliminate low-to-ground
shrub cover if coyote using area
• Fence yard, incl. 6” below surface
• Don’t leave small children unattended if coyotes frequenting area
• Confine pets & walk on leash, esp. at night
• Be SCARY!– Don’t corner them!– Make noise– Be big/carry an object– Throw rocks
Semi-rural tips• Use net-wire &/or electric
fencing• Shorten birthing seasons
(lambs, calves)• Confine stock at night in
coyote-proof corral• Light corrals/pens• Remove dead animals –
Don’t provide carrion
• Decrease habitat near stock for other coyote food sources– E.g., brush control near
calving pens to decrease rabbits
• Use strobe lights & noisemakers
• Use guard animals– Dogs, donkeys, llama
Why not just move them?• Low survival
– Intra-specific aggression– Vulnerable to predation & accidents– Homing behavior = risks along the way – Likely to starve, do poorly
• Disrupt resident population of natives• Illegal • Disease transmission• Ethical issue of “moving the problem”
WHO TO CALL?• Unregulated predators,
under OR Department of Agriculture
• Can be hunted or trapped at any time using approved methods
• Need hunting license on public lands and some private
• Must have furbearer tag to possess
MANAGEMENT STATUS IN OREGON
• Trained & certified Wildlife Control Operators
• http://www.dfw.state.or.us/wildlife/license_permits_apps/wildlife_control_operator_contacts.asp
• Your ODFW District Biologist (800-720-6339 HQ)
• Problems in production agriculture situations, USDA-APHIS
Coyote• Height 23-26”• Length 3’5”-4’4”• Runs tail down• Front track 2 ¼-3 ¼” long,
1 ½ -2 ½” wide, hind slightly shorter– Stride 13”walk/24”trot/30”run
Wolf• Height 26-38”• Length 4’3”-6’9”• Runs tail straight or down• Front track 3 ¾”-5 ¾ ”long,
2 7/8-5” wide– Stride 13-24”walk/20-
23”lope/ 55-99”gallop
• Distinct howl– http://www.soundboard.com/s
b/Wolves_audio_clips.aspx