Calypso
New member
Coyotes making selves at home in suburbia
As crafty predators become bolder, residents take steps
By RICK BARRETT
of the Journal Sentinel staff
Last Updated: July 4, 2001
Coyotes
The DNR Says...
If you cross paths with a coyote, the most prudent action is to give the animal plenty of space and allow it to back away. Making loud noises will usually cause a coyote to run.
Coyotes view dogs as threats to their territory. If your dog is attacked, make a lot of noise to try to scare the coyotes away. But don't get in the middle of the fight.
The best way to keep coyotes out of your neighborhood is to minimize their food sources, and don't leave dog food outside overnight.
Quotable
Should you be afraid of coyotes? Personally, I would say no. But I would temper that statement by saying that these are large wild animals with teeth, and they should be treated with respect.
- Ricky Lien,
DNR urban wildlife biologist
When Dawn Armstrong first encountered a coyote in her yard, in the middle of the day, she was more startled than the long-legged animal that stared her down and then calmly trotted away.
"It didn't seem afraid at all," said Armstrong, who lives in a Village of Pewaukee neighborhood on the edge of a wooded area.
Since the spring, Armstrong and her neighbors have seen coyotes walking through their yards and down the streets digging through curbside garbage cans.
And now - with permission from the village police, and under a recommendation from the state Department of Natural Resources - they have secured the services of a hunter who recently engaged in a couple of evening coyote hunts.
"We had a little action the other night, but we have not bagged one yet," said hunter Steve Smith of Brookfield.
Wildlife experts say it's not uncommon to see coyotes in suburban Milwaukee, but normally the scraggly animals are shy and slink away into the shadows when confronted.
But, for several reasons, experts say, coyotes are getting more numerous and accustomed to people in southern Wisconsin. Although Wisconsin has never recorded a coyote attack on a human, some of the animals have become bolder in recent years.
"It doesn't surprise me," said Michael Foy, a DNR wildlife biologist. "A California study showed that, first, coyotes stay out of sight of humans. Then they watch them from a distance. Finally, they might brazenly walk through neighborhoods in broad daylight, sometimes attacking small pets."
Armstrong and others say it is the coyotes' brazen behavior that worries them, especially since the animals recently attacked a German short-haired pointer in their neighborhood.
"I have two small children and I don't want them back in the woods," Armstrong said. "These coyotes are not the least bit afraid of us."
Coyotes, which are related to dogs, weigh between 25 and 60 pounds and are sometimes mistaken for wolves, which are much larger animals. They eat rabbits, mice, squirrels and other small animals that sometimes include household pets.
In Brookfield, signs have been posted in Mitchell Park warning people about the presence of coyotes. And in Oak Creek, a resident recently shot a coyote that attacked his dog.
In Mount Horeb, near Madison, residents recently reported that three coyotes attacked a cat sleeping on a wicker chair on a front porch. The cat's owner heard the growling and screeching and scared the coyotes away.
"For some reason, cats are high on the snack list of coyotes," said Ricky Lien, a DNR urban wildlife biologist in Milwaukee.
Attacks on humans
There have been a small number of coyote attacks on people in the United States and Canada, with most of the attacks on children under 5 years of age. The last person to be killed by a coyote was a child in the Los Angeles area in the 1980s, according to a National Wildlife Federation report.
In California, where the coyote population is dense, there have been more than 50 coyote attacks reported since 1988.
In 1999, seven people were bitten by coyotes between March and August in the Lake Tahoe, Nev., area - including one tourist who was bitten in the thigh while walking across a casino parking lot. Two years earlier, skiers were chased by coyotes at South Lake Tahoe, and coyotes followed children walking to school, according to state and federal wildlife reports.
Clashes with coyotes in the West can be blamed on marked urban sprawl that has encroached on the animals' natural territory, said Lien of the Wisconsin DNR.
"And as more areas are closed to hunting and trapping, coyotes probably have lost some of their fear of humans," Lien said. "The animals don't see negative consequences for living close to people."
Wisconsin has a year-round hunting season for coyotes; in some northern counties, coyotes may not be hunted during deer season.
They like suburbia
In 1999 and 2000, more than 10,000 coyotes were shot or trapped by hunters statewide, according to the DNR, but since hunting and trapping generally are not allowed in urban areas, coyotes have flourished there.
The number of reported coyote sightings in southern Wisconsin has increased about fourfold in the past six years, said Greg Matthews, a DNR wildlife biologist.
"When I first started with the DNR 20 years ago, coyote sightings were rare in southern counties and they were very rare in the Milwaukee area," he said. "But urban sprawl is well-suited to coyotes because large, landscaped lots are home to rabbits, rodents, squirrels and other small animals that are coyotes' prey."
In the Village of Pewaukee, residents said they hope their hunter will chase the coyotes away, although DNR officials said the sound of gunshots alone probably won't be enough to accomplish that.
Coyotes recently harassed Matt Koski's hunting dogs as he walked them through a wooded area in the village.
"They followed us and circled around the dogs. I have never seen that before," Koski said.
"Should you be afraid of coyotes? Personally, I would say no," said the DNR's Lien. "But I would temper that statement by saying that these are large wild animals with teeth, and they should be treated with respect."
In two recent extreme cases, Lien said, people fed coyotes pork chops and venison, and then wondered how to get rid of the animals when they became a nuisance.
"Eliminate the food sources and you probably won't have coyotes," he said.
[This message has been edited by Calypso (edited 07-10-2001).]
As crafty predators become bolder, residents take steps
By RICK BARRETT
of the Journal Sentinel staff
Last Updated: July 4, 2001
Coyotes
The DNR Says...
If you cross paths with a coyote, the most prudent action is to give the animal plenty of space and allow it to back away. Making loud noises will usually cause a coyote to run.
Coyotes view dogs as threats to their territory. If your dog is attacked, make a lot of noise to try to scare the coyotes away. But don't get in the middle of the fight.
The best way to keep coyotes out of your neighborhood is to minimize their food sources, and don't leave dog food outside overnight.
Quotable
Should you be afraid of coyotes? Personally, I would say no. But I would temper that statement by saying that these are large wild animals with teeth, and they should be treated with respect.
- Ricky Lien,
DNR urban wildlife biologist
When Dawn Armstrong first encountered a coyote in her yard, in the middle of the day, she was more startled than the long-legged animal that stared her down and then calmly trotted away.
"It didn't seem afraid at all," said Armstrong, who lives in a Village of Pewaukee neighborhood on the edge of a wooded area.
Since the spring, Armstrong and her neighbors have seen coyotes walking through their yards and down the streets digging through curbside garbage cans.
And now - with permission from the village police, and under a recommendation from the state Department of Natural Resources - they have secured the services of a hunter who recently engaged in a couple of evening coyote hunts.
"We had a little action the other night, but we have not bagged one yet," said hunter Steve Smith of Brookfield.
Wildlife experts say it's not uncommon to see coyotes in suburban Milwaukee, but normally the scraggly animals are shy and slink away into the shadows when confronted.
But, for several reasons, experts say, coyotes are getting more numerous and accustomed to people in southern Wisconsin. Although Wisconsin has never recorded a coyote attack on a human, some of the animals have become bolder in recent years.
"It doesn't surprise me," said Michael Foy, a DNR wildlife biologist. "A California study showed that, first, coyotes stay out of sight of humans. Then they watch them from a distance. Finally, they might brazenly walk through neighborhoods in broad daylight, sometimes attacking small pets."
Armstrong and others say it is the coyotes' brazen behavior that worries them, especially since the animals recently attacked a German short-haired pointer in their neighborhood.
"I have two small children and I don't want them back in the woods," Armstrong said. "These coyotes are not the least bit afraid of us."
Coyotes, which are related to dogs, weigh between 25 and 60 pounds and are sometimes mistaken for wolves, which are much larger animals. They eat rabbits, mice, squirrels and other small animals that sometimes include household pets.
In Brookfield, signs have been posted in Mitchell Park warning people about the presence of coyotes. And in Oak Creek, a resident recently shot a coyote that attacked his dog.
In Mount Horeb, near Madison, residents recently reported that three coyotes attacked a cat sleeping on a wicker chair on a front porch. The cat's owner heard the growling and screeching and scared the coyotes away.
"For some reason, cats are high on the snack list of coyotes," said Ricky Lien, a DNR urban wildlife biologist in Milwaukee.
Attacks on humans
There have been a small number of coyote attacks on people in the United States and Canada, with most of the attacks on children under 5 years of age. The last person to be killed by a coyote was a child in the Los Angeles area in the 1980s, according to a National Wildlife Federation report.
In California, where the coyote population is dense, there have been more than 50 coyote attacks reported since 1988.
In 1999, seven people were bitten by coyotes between March and August in the Lake Tahoe, Nev., area - including one tourist who was bitten in the thigh while walking across a casino parking lot. Two years earlier, skiers were chased by coyotes at South Lake Tahoe, and coyotes followed children walking to school, according to state and federal wildlife reports.
Clashes with coyotes in the West can be blamed on marked urban sprawl that has encroached on the animals' natural territory, said Lien of the Wisconsin DNR.
"And as more areas are closed to hunting and trapping, coyotes probably have lost some of their fear of humans," Lien said. "The animals don't see negative consequences for living close to people."
Wisconsin has a year-round hunting season for coyotes; in some northern counties, coyotes may not be hunted during deer season.
They like suburbia
In 1999 and 2000, more than 10,000 coyotes were shot or trapped by hunters statewide, according to the DNR, but since hunting and trapping generally are not allowed in urban areas, coyotes have flourished there.
The number of reported coyote sightings in southern Wisconsin has increased about fourfold in the past six years, said Greg Matthews, a DNR wildlife biologist.
"When I first started with the DNR 20 years ago, coyote sightings were rare in southern counties and they were very rare in the Milwaukee area," he said. "But urban sprawl is well-suited to coyotes because large, landscaped lots are home to rabbits, rodents, squirrels and other small animals that are coyotes' prey."
In the Village of Pewaukee, residents said they hope their hunter will chase the coyotes away, although DNR officials said the sound of gunshots alone probably won't be enough to accomplish that.
Coyotes recently harassed Matt Koski's hunting dogs as he walked them through a wooded area in the village.
"They followed us and circled around the dogs. I have never seen that before," Koski said.
"Should you be afraid of coyotes? Personally, I would say no," said the DNR's Lien. "But I would temper that statement by saying that these are large wild animals with teeth, and they should be treated with respect."
In two recent extreme cases, Lien said, people fed coyotes pork chops and venison, and then wondered how to get rid of the animals when they became a nuisance.
"Eliminate the food sources and you probably won't have coyotes," he said.
[This message has been edited by Calypso (edited 07-10-2001).]