Living in Nature’s Backyard Requires Coexisting with Coyotes

• Big Rock Residents Learn How to Deal with Four-Footed Neighbors

BY SUZANNE GULDIMANN

A coyote encounter that recently resulted in the death of a small dog was the catalyst for a presentation on coexisting with coyotes sponsored by the Big Rock Homeowners Association and hosted by Big Rock residents Jewelene Simpson and her daughter Koral.
“It’s depressing and horrible,” said the owner of the miniature dog that was reportedly killed in a daylight attack. “I love all animals but this is not necessarily the coyote’s territory. We were here a lot longer,” she said. “We’re trapped in our own house because these animals have rein.”
Valley Wildlife Center director Brenda Varvarigos was invited to address area residents on finding ways for the community to improve coyote-human relations in the canyon community. Varvarigos’s organization rescues and rehabilitates approximately 2000 wild animals a year, ranging from songbirds to coyotes and bobcats.
“Everything deserves a second chance, I am hoping to help all of you coexist,” she told the packed room, raising her voice to speak over a few people in the back calling for coyote extermination.
Varvarigos began her presentation with some coyote facts, stating for starters that the wild canines are not as large as many people think, averaging just 20-45 pounds. “Their fur makes them look bigger than they are,’ she said.
They may not be big, but they are extremely fast. According to Varvarigos, coyotes can run an amazing 40 mph. A healthy coyote can clear a six-foot fence.
“Coyotes have strong family bonds,” Vavarigos told the audience. “They mate for life and are monogamous. They mate in February and March—that’s why they’ve been so active lately. They don’t howl when they are making a kill, they howl to communicate with each other.”
Vavarigos explained that females give birth in April and May. “They look for pre-made structures to den, they’ll use crawl-spaces under outbuildings and even houses. They are most active at dawn and dusk but can be active at any time of the day,” she said
Coyotes, intelligent and omnivorous, have adapted well to loss of habitat and human activities, taking advantage of man-made shelter and foraging opportunities, including garbage cans, backyard orchards, compost piles, pet food and, unfortunately on occasion, pets and livestock.
“Coyotes are not going away,” Varvarigos stated. “They have an important job to do. They keep the rodent population under control. They provide an important buffer between humans and vermin-born diseases like the plague.
“We’ve encroached on their habitat but we’ve also created an ideal environment, adding garbage, compost and small pets to the menu. They are opportunistic hunters and can’t differentiate between pet and prey, your pet is exactly the same to them as a rabbit or a rodent. They don’t know the difference.”
Asked by a member of the audience why “nuisance coyotes” can’t be shot, Varvarigos explained that the wild canines are protected by state law, and that there is a $7000 fine for harming an animal.
“Even if you were to shoot a coyote, another will fill its place,” she elaborated. “Coyotes regulate their own populations based on food supply. They live here. They are here to stay. There are no longer any wild areas left for them.”
“If you move to, or live in an area frequented by coyotes, it is your responsibility to afford protection for all of your domestic and companion animals,” Varvarigos said. “Dogs have owners who are responsible for them. Coyotes don’t, but they do have a job, and that’s controlling rodents.”
According to Varvarigos, coyotes are shy by nature. Most problems occur when humans feed coyotes, causing them to lose their fear of people. Several audience members concurred that some area residents have been feeding coyotes.
“There have been less than 300 coyotes attacks in the known history of California,” Varvarigos told the audience. “There are more than 300 lethal domestic dog attacks [here] a year. What is happening here is not a coyote problem, it’s a people problem. You need to talk to the neighbors who are providing food.”
“It’s illegal to feed coyotes, or any wildlife, except for birds,” Varvarigos explained. “Coyotes prey on deer. If you attract the deer you will attract coyotes and possibly even mountain lions.”
Varvarigos recommends that pets be fed inside if possible. If pets must be fed outside, she suggests removing all uneaten pet food promptly and keeping feeding areas clean—something that will also help eliminate visits from skunks and raccoons.
Omnivorous coyotes are also attracted to human food, trash and fruit trees. Varvarigos suggests picking up fallen fruit, cleaning BBQ grills and securing trash containers. “People often report seeing raccoons licking the BBQ grill, but coyotes will do it, too, and coyotes learn which night is trash night.”
According to Varvarigos, good fences really do make good neighbors. A six-foot fence with an inexpensive roller bar, or roll guard, at the top can keep out not only coyotes but also raccoons and can help keep cats in. Motion sensing lights and sprinklers can also help deter coyotes.
Varvarigos strongly recommends keeping cats and small dogs indoors, allowing them outside only under strict supervision. She cautioned that, in addition to coyotes, small pets can fall prey to other predators like free-roaming dogs and great-horned owls. “Never leave small pets unattended. This means at all hours. They are not safe in your backyard.”
She also encourages dog owners to make sure female dogs are spayed. “Coyotes are attracted to all other canines in heat. They have an amazing sense of smell—40 times more sensitive than a bloodhound.”
Dogs should always be walked on a leash. Their humans should carry noisemakers like a whistle, an air horn, or a can with pennies or rocks in it, and walk with a stick, or an umbrella.
“If you do encounter a coyote, scare it,” Varvarigos said. “Jump up and down, scream at it, wave your jacket, stick, umbrella. Let it know you’re scary. They need to be afraid of humans. Problems only happen when coyotes lose their instinctive fear of us.”
Laurel Canyon resident Skip Haynes also attended the meeting, to tell the neighborhood about his own coyote experience,
Haynes recently worked with Valley Wildlife Care to track down and rescue a coyote that was suffering from severe sarcoptic mange, a skin condition thought to be aggravated by rodenticides that compromise the coyote’s immune system. Haynes’s coyote was lucky. She is being treated and has a good prognosis.
“Educating the neighborhood brought the community together,” Haynes said. “The most effective thing is to learn about the animal. Everybody in my neighborhood knows how to deal with coyotes now. We’ve learned to live with them.”
More information on coexisting with coyotes, including a link to the manufacturer of humane coyote-proof fence rollers and advice on a wide range of wildlife issues is available online at www.valleywildlifecare.com