An urban coyote is a coyote that has adapted to human presence and resides in metropolitan areas such as residential neighborhoods and cities. Coyotes are attracted to these areas due to food availability, shelter, and a lack of predators. Urban coyotes are most often spotted in greenbelts, city parks, golf courses, cemeteries, and railway tracks. They also frequent riverbanks, drainage channels, and brushy edges of residential neighborhoods to hunt for rodents, rabbits, and accessible pet food.
While urban coyotes are usually timid and avoid humans, conflicts can and do occur. Hazing (deterring) the coyote is important. Do not run; wave your arms, stand tall, make direct eye contact, and shout at it. You can also squirt it with a hose or throw something at it. By "hazing" coyotes, you are helping to re-establish their natural fear of humans. If you otherwise spot a coyote from far away, admire it from a distance, but do not approach, attempt to pet, or feed any wild coyote.
No. This is a very common myth and is often misinterpreted. Coyotes are very timid animals and do not premeditate attacks or intentionally bait domestic dogs away from their homes. Large dogs who are not kept indoors or allowed to free-roam outside often chase and harass lone coyotes. Coyotes will often flee from the dog's pursuit and seek refuge from packmates. In most incidents, the dogs were not on leash or being supervised, which results in conflict with defensive coyotes. Coyotes may exhibit aggression towards larger dogs between mid-March and mid-May, which is coyote pup season. Being territorial animals, coyotes are extremely protective of their offspring and family unit.
While coyote attacks do happen, they are quite rare. Coyotes are usually fearful of humans and avoid coming into contact with them. However, urban coyotes (coyotes in residential neighborhoods and cities) are increasingly becoming less fearful of humans. This is attributed to humans feeding coyotes, which results in them associating people with food. Coyotes who have little to no human interaction (mostly in rural areas) are very fearful of people. Conflicts with urban coyotes can be prevented by avoiding feeding them, keeping pets and small children indoors, securing trash/compost bins, and hazing confident coyotes by waving your arms, making loud noises, and making yourself appear intimidating.
Coyotes are very resilient animals, and studies have proved that removing large populations is counterproductive and actually increases their numbers. When a breeding male or female is killed, it causes a disruption in the social structure (primarily in the subordinate coyotes), which promotes an increase in dispersal of young coyotes and reproduction. A decreased number of coyotes within a pack can also pressure females to reproduce more frequently with larger litters.
Coyotes attack, and sometimes kill, domestic pets primarily because they are opportunistic predators. To a coyote, small dogs and cats resemble natural prey (like rabbits and rodents). They will also attack large dogs to defend their territory or protect their dens during mating and pupping seasons. Almost all coyote attacks on unsupervised pets occur outside, so by keeping your pet indoors and supervised while outdoors, you can effectively prevent coyote predation. Removing food sources such as pet food, bird feeders, unsecured trash, or open compost piles will also keep coyotes out of your yard.
Coyotes are crepuscular animals, meaning they are most active at dusk and dawn, but will alter their behavior depending on food availability. Additionally, a naturally crepuscular animal being seen during the daytime does not always mean that it's rabid. If the animal is behaving abnormally (acting disoriented, sickly, unnaturally bold, exhibiting aggressive behavior, or other similar symptoms), it should be reported to wildlife authorities.
Yes! Like wolves, coyotes play an important role in our ecosystems. Like wolves, coyotes are an important component of a healthy ecosystem. While wolves help maintain healthy ungulate populations, coyotes primarily control the overabundance of rodents and other small animals like mice, rats, voles, rabbits, and insects that we call pests. Coyotes are also scavengers and feed on carrion. Because their diet consists primarily of rodents, coyotes are essential for disease control. Mice and rats carry a variety of zoonotic diseases that are transmissible to humans, such as Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). Coyotes cannot spread hantavirus and are considered a ‘dead-end’ host, meaning they cannot transmit the infection through their saliva, urine, or feces to humans or pets. A single coyote can consume well over 1,000 to 1,800 rodents in a single year, and accounts for up to 70% of their diet, making them excellent natural pest control.
Yes, coyotes are scavengers, but carrion (dead animals) is not the only thing they eat. Coyotes are omnivores (meaning they eat both plants and other animals). Rodents such as mice and rats make up the majority of a coyote's diet (60%). They also consume fruit, trash, and sometimes domestic animals.
