Fall brings cooler temperatures, apples and pumpkins, colorful leaves . . . and coyotes.
Suddenly your evening walk with your dog brings sightings of these wild animals, leaving you scared for your safety and unsure how to respond.
Worry no more! We caught up with Ashley Kendall, Anderson Humane’s Director of Wildlife, for some helpful info and advice on how to handle these interactions.
Dos and Don’ts of a Coyote Encounter
“Do not run from a coyote,” Ashley said. “Instead, shout, yell, clap, or use a noise maker or pepper spray.” This is called hazing (acting aggressively), and is meant to scare off coyotes and keep them afraid of humans.
“Never feed coyotes,” Ashley said. Problems with coyotes often occur when people feed them and they get too accustomed to human interaction or dependent on humans feeding them. Even if you mean well, this never ends well for the coyote.
“If a coyote is near but not approaching, do not haze,” Ashley said. Let the animals pass and get on with their business.
Coyote Attacks Are Very Rare
“Due to their adaptability and the fact that they breed according to available resources, coyotes live everywhere,” Ashley said. “Including around humans.” So, why don’t we see them year-round? Because typically they don’t want anything to do with us.
From September to December, coyote pups from spring litters leave their dens in search of a mate and a territory of their own. Along the way, they might encounter you and/or your pet. But you are not what they’re looking for. According to the Humane Society of the United States, more people die from errant golf balls and flying champagne corks each year than are bitten by coyotes.
Coyotes are Helpful
“The benefits of coyotes are often unseen,” said Ashley. “They provide rodent control and keep the numbers of geese, voles, and deer in check.” Many neighborhoods would have an excess of rabbits, mice, and rats if it weren’t for coyotes.
In Illinois, coyotes are an apex predator, meaning they are at the top of the food chain (except for humans) and don’t have any predators of their own. Apex predators promote a stable ecosystem and serve as early indicators if something is amiss in a local environment. Coyotes also clean up road kill and help spread fruit seeds with their scat.
Removing Coyotes Doesn’t Work
The Humane Society of the United States conducted extensive research on trapping, relocating, and even killing coyotes and found that these methods only create new problems. If you remove one coyote, the remaining parent will become bolder when looking for food for their young and for a new mate. The new pair will mate sooner, resulting in more coyotes not less.
Most coyote trapping devices are inhumane and often another coyote fills the vacuum, accessing the local resources suddenly available. “Trapping and relocating means certain death for a coyote,” said Ashley. Because they are a territorial animal, they will do almost anything to return home, often at their peril. They also end up in disputes with the coyotes already in the area where they are relocated. The best option is to peacefully coexist with these animals.
Most Coyote Conflicts Are Avoidable
There are several things you can do to keep coyotes at bay. Keep your yard clean of pet feces and food, clean up the area under your bird feeders (where spillage is common), and only put trash outside the morning it gets collected. Ashley also suggests protecting your yard with an 8-foot non-climbable fence or a 6-foot fence with coyote rollers.
To keep your pets safe, keep your dog on a leash when outside. “A single dog walking up to a coyote territory puts him at risk for territory disputes,” said Ashley, adding that coyotes are very territorial. Cats should be kept inside anyway, so their safety from coyotes should be a non-issue.