Coyotes in our urban neigborhoods

[GoingDown]

http://www.azfamily.com/news/local/Brave-coyotes-invading-one-Valley-neighborhood-138447409.html

For the last month or so, I have been hearing coyotes howl-- if that's the right word for the almost hyena like sounds they make-- right outside my window at night. They seem to respond to the sounds of sirens in the distance, and then let out their strange wail.

I have no problem with coyotes out in the desert wilderness. They're a beautiful animal in my opinion and they fulfill an important role in our ecosystem.

I just don't like the idea of what they are hunting in our cities-- cats, small dogs, chickens, turkeys, peacocks, etc.

I know that these prey-like animals attract them and they coyotes are just doing what comes natural to them, but I still don't like the thought of losing a Chihuahua to a hungry coyote. The only advice from the local government is to keep your pets on a very short leash at all times, even when your pet is in your own fenced back yard. And if you have something like chickens, do one of two things-- don't clip their wing feathers so they can fly up into trees to get away from coyotes, or else keep them in a cage.

From what I've been hearing and reading, Phoenix is not alone in this problem. Coyotes are moving back into towns and cities all over the U.S.

So, I'm curious, and I'm just throwing this question out there...

Have any of you noticed a sudden increase in the coyote population in your area?

[DYLAN150]

I have coyotes and Elk right behind my house and get to see a bald eagle every once in awhile. I understand the coyotes like to go after cats.

[Freddy03]

I have not seen any coyotes in Florida. I did see a big red fox stalking the ducks in our retention pond a few weeks ago. And there is a bald eagle that lives in the area.

[keepsmiling]

Believe it or not we have signs and tv warnings in our lil NJ burb. We're less then a half hour as the crow flies from NYC.

[AngelinaCat]

I haven't seen any coyotes, but I have heard of them being in Florida, because people have brought them in for one reason or another. We have deer, turkeys, bald eagles, racoons and other animals here.

In Morristown, TN, where BIL & SIL live, there has been an explosion in the deer populations, and the deer graze at will in people's years, and show no apparent alarm...

[despritfreya]

You had to know I would voice my opinion on this so here it is. . .

The reports in Phoenix and Maricopa County in general sometimes tick me off. Quite frankly, I have no sympathy for the homeowner who is "afraid" to share space with these creatures. There are many ways to protect that little Chihuahua but people don't think. Instead they feed wild animals, leave their garbage out so it is easy to rummage through and in general encourage them to hang around. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

My property is completely fenced. The separate run for my dogs is not only fenced but it is fully enclosed so even hawks can’t get in. There are many, many coyotes in my neighborhood and in the 10 years I have lived here I personally have never had a problem. My neighbors have chickens and other small birds and, yes, once in a while there is a loss, however, as mean as this sounds, that is a risk they take - remember, the coyotes were here long before we were. Heck, a few years ago a neighbor lost an emu to a mountain lion. Bet those folks in Phoenix would wet their pants if that happened to them.

Des.

[AngelinaCatHub]

It is my understanding that coyotes have been imported for some reason, here to FL. Don't know the reasons. 'Hub

[GoingDown]

You had to know I would voice my opinion on this so here it is. . .

The reports in Phoenix and Maricopa County in general sometimes tick me off. Quite frankly, I have no sympathy for the homeowner who is "afraid" to share space with these creatures. There are many ways to protect that little Chihuahua but people don't think. Instead they feed wild animals, leave their garbage out so it is easy to rummage through and in general encourage them to hang around. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

My property is completely fenced. The separate run for my dogs is not only fenced but it is fully enclosed so even hawks can’t get in. There are many, many coyotes in my neighborhood and in the 10 years I have lived here I personally have never had a problem. My neighbors have chickens and other small birds and, yes, once in a while there is a loss, however, as mean as this sounds, that is a risk they take - remember, the coyotes were here long before we were. Heck, a few years ago a neighbor lost an emu to a mountain lion. Bet those folks in Phoenix would wet their pants if that happened to them.

Des.

But I'm talking about an urban area of Phoenix, not in the suburbs, and not out in the desert wilderness. There haven't been coyotes in this part of Phoenix in a very long time. Hunters, farmers, and ranchers killed most of them off and then as the city grew, the coyotes were cut off from this part of Phoenix for many years.

What changed? My guess is the very prolonged drought we have had has caused them to re-invade this area. And we're simply not used to them in this area. We aren't ready for them because we haven't had to deal with them for such an extended period of time. When I moved here from Oregon, I never heard them at night, and never saw them. Now I hear them every night, and have seen them even during the daytime on numerous occasions.

The first thing that re-invaded our neighborhood was the cute little cottontail rabbits. We all thought it was wonderful to see them here, but now I can see what they brought with them-- coyotes.

And fences are no match for the coyote. They can jump right over them, snatch your Chihuahua, and then jump right back over and run off with it to eat it at their den. And sorry, but I don't like that. I'd rather have Chihuahuas around here than coyotes.

Does this seem fair, when the cat was in its own backyard...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXYOvqt48VE&feature=related

I don't think so.

[SweetGeorgia]

My neighbor has seen coyotes here in our Atlanta neighborhood, right next to the interstate highway. I haven't seen or heard anything myself, and we still have plenty of cats in the neighborhood, FWIW. I have large dogs, and the fence is pretty good, so I don't worry about letting the dogs out in the yard. I've had raccoons come up on the porch, but so far nothing that couldn't climb a tree.

My mom had a lot of trouble with a hawk hunting her little dogs in the back yard when she lived in Florida. These are 25-30 lb. dogs, which I would think are too big for a bird to carry off. This bird even got tangled in a little girl visitor's hair at one time, and another time charged the sliding glass door (behind which was the dog). But heck, we used to have alligators at our sliding glass door in Florida!

I guess we can't blame them for adapting to our presence.

[Flamingo]

Please note that coyotes are appearing where they are because humans are encroaching on their habitat more and more all the time. The same applies to many other animals that have no where else to go when habitat is destroyed for the new strip mall or housing development....What people are getting in their own backyards as to strange animals non-native to the area is caused by man himself.

[tobee43]

Believe it or not we have signs and tv warnings in our lil NJ burb. We're less then a half hour as the crow flies from NYC.

believe it or not??? guess what...we had a coyote den her cubs a few years on our property in nj. it was absolutely awesome! when the became old enough she would take them one by one into the pine forest. it was a sight to behold..although i don't really think i would appreciate the howls happening, i would think i was in a scary movie which is NOT somewhere or place i would ever like to be, or NOT, because maybe i have already been there?

flamingo, in another life we were best friends LOL!!!!!

sound...smell..scary...the S's are really not nice at times.

[despritfreya]

But I'm talking about an urban area of Phoenix, not in the suburbs, and not out in the desert wilderness. There haven't been coyotes in this part of Phoenix in a very long time.

That is where you are wrong.

This is from an Arizona Fish & Game flyer on the subject dating to April, 2004

http://www.azgfd.gov/pdfs/h_f/urban_coyote_faq.pdf

Here’s a 2006 warning

http://www.birdandanimalcontrol.com/state/county/city/Phoenix-Arizona.php

And, in 2006 there was a push to do something about stupid people. . . don’t know if the law passed. . . doubt it

http://www.azgfd.gov/artman/publish/printer_478.shtml

My point is this. . .

I have lived in this Valley for 25 years - only the last 10 in a more rural location. Coyote sightings in Phoenix are not unusual. See them all the time at parks, golf courses, schools - any place where there is room to run and water. What has changed is the population growth and what that brings - dumb people who think feeding wild animals is cool. The animals who, for the most part, stayed away from humans in the past (limiting themselves to what the parks, golf courses and uninhabited school grounds would bring), are now braver than ever and have no fear of jumping into one's backyard. Yes, lack of sustenance brings them out but that is our fault as we have destroyed their habitat.

If we, as the rulers of this planet, want to take the ability to co-exist away from the “lower life forms” that we share this planet with, we better be ready for the consequences and think of ways to protect ourselves, short of killing off every creature that we perceive as a threat. And. . . we need to stop being irresponsible.

Des.

[MSbklawyer]

http://www.azfamily.com/news/local/B...138447409.html


So, I'm curious, and I'm just throwing this question out there...

Have any of you noticed a sudden increase in the coyote population in your area?

Yes, just a couple of months ago late, late in the evening one creeped out of the bushes and I popped him with a .22. No problems since, I'm happy to report.

[GoingDown]

Yes, just a couple of months ago late, late in the evening one creeped out of the bushes and I popped him with a .22. No problems since, I'm happy to report.

This is definitely one solution to the problem, but I'm afraid the City of Phoenix police department would frown upon us discharging a rifle inside the city limits.

[GoingDown]

Now, let's think about this for a minute.

Coyotes are carriers for canine diseases such as mange, heartworm, distemper, parvo, intestinal parasites (worms) and of course, rabies. Since they receive no vet care, they are never vaccinated against these diseases and readily pass them on to the dogs in the area. And of course, there are numerous accounts of them attacking pet dogs on leashes, as well as some accounts of them even attacking children.

Let's just pretend for a moment that pit bulls could easily jump over a 6 foot fence and attack the small dogs, cats and children in the yard. What would we do about it?

The pit bull would be put down.

Why is there a double standard for coyotes?

Why do cities have leash laws and rabies vaccination laws for dogs, but yet, ignore wild canines living in the city limits?

Why do the bleeding heart environmentalists have no problem with a Chihuahua being killed by a coyote, but seem to a have a temper tantrum when anyone suggests getting rid of coyotes living in urban environments?

These coyotes are very quickly losing their fear of humans because of the way we are allowing them to continue living in urban areas. They can't help but to see us and interact with us on a daily basis and they are becoming habituated to being around us, and no longer find us scary. We no longer try to get rid of them, so they have no reason to fear us.

I'm afraid that we won't do anything about this problem until children start getting attacked and hurt or even killed. Why would anyone want to let it ever get to this point?

And if you don't think coyotes see us as food, look at this video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqVE9qfg7yI&feature=related

and this one...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqVE9qfg7yI&feature=related

And of course the AZ Game and Fish Department says this, indicating that they will sometimes attack humans...

"In an emergency: If a coyote is aggressive, approaching a person, biting, or growling and snarling unprovoked, then:

Continue and exaggerate the above actions.
Don’t turn away or run because the animal may view it as an opportunity to chase.
Keep eye contact.
Move toward other people, a building, or an area of activity. "

It just seems like in an urban, civilized city environment, we should do something about dangerous predatory animals.

I'm not talking about getting rid of the coyotes in the wild, but if we control dogs in our city limits, then we should control their wild cousins as well. That seems to make sense to me.