When we build our cities, we build them on top of our neighbours’ homes and territories – wild neighbours, such as coyotes, raccoons, and deer. Some of our wild neighbours, such as wolverines, don’t appreciate the intrusion and they move away to areas with less humans. Other animals, gulls and Canada geese for example, are much more flexible and have adapted readily to urban life.

Coyotes are present in most Canadian cities (there are none on Vancouver Island) and their numbers have been increasing. You never lose sight of the houses surrounding a small pocket park in northwestern Edmonton. And yet, it’s home to two coyote dens. To survive amid people and traffic and ever-changing circumstances, coyotes need to be smart and adaptable. However, those characteristics may get them into trouble. “The ability to overcome fear of a novel object might mean an animal can exploit a new source of food. But that could involve knocking over someone’s garbage can, raiding their composter, or breaking into their chicken coop. And when we respond by erecting new barriers to keep wildlife out, we’re just giving the animals new problems to solve” [The Coyote Next Door]. A better understanding of coyotes and their needs may help us to view them as neighbours rather than adversaries or pests and enable us to coexist peacefully side by side.

Coyote Behaviour

Coyotes are native to North America. They maintain strong family ties and play an important role in managing small rodent populations that can spread disease in cities or endanger farm crops.

Coyotes mate for life, and the mother and father share responsibility for feeding and teaching the pups. Spring and summer are busy seasons for coyote families. Courtship begins in January and by March the couples are selecting a den. During the spring and summer, they raise their pups, nurturing them and teaching them the necessary survival skills. Older siblings as well as aunts and uncles assist with these tasks.

Coyotes aren’t normally aggressive, but, like humans, they’ll protect each other, their pups, their home, and their food. If they stare at you or your dog, it’s to determine if you represent a threat. “But if chased by a dog, which is what dogs often do, they will return to the safety of their family – just like you would if you were being chased by a predator. At that point, a coyote family may defend themselves, their territory, their den, or a food source from a predator or invader. This is not luring or some form of trickery, but very simple cause and effect initiated by a loose dog chasing wildlife” [Breaking Down the Coyote Mating Meme].

To survive, coyotes must eat, so they’re always on the lookout for food, whether it’s an overflowing bird feeder, a bowl of pet food, a garbage can, or fallen fruit and berries. If there’s no ready source of food, they won’t bother to enter your backyard. Deliberately putting out food for a coyote, even if it looks hungry, is a big mistake. They will lose their natural fear of humans and fail to maintain a respectful distance. This often leads to them being killed.

Human Behaviour

Like coyotes, people want to protect their families. They get nervous when they spot a coyote in their backyard or when walking their dog. That’s understandable. Unfortunately, sometimes fear leads us to make the wrong decisions. It worries us when we spot a coyote in a park frequented by lots of people, and our response is frequently to encourage the municipality to kill the coyote or transport it to a different area. Neither of these responses tends to be productive for three key reasons.

Rather than reducing the coyote population, human intervention will increase it. In normal circumstances, coyotes avoid overpopulation by having small litters with an average litter of 5 pups. However, if they’re under stress because of predator control efforts, they will have larger litters of up to 19 pups. In addition, if an alpha female is removed from the pack, younger females will start having pups, reproducing at a much younger age, resulting in more breeding females and more pups.

Coyotes move frequently through their territory, leaving scat, urine, and scent markings, along with soil scratchings to secure their territory. Solitary coyotes passing through the area will respect established territories and move on. But if a coyote pack is killed, another coyote will rapidly move in to fill the gap.

The members of a coyote pack aren’t interchangeable as each member of the pack has its own distinctive role. Alpha males and females have knowledge and experience that they transmit to younger members of the pack. Some coyotes will be more adventurous or curious than others. They will be the ones that help their pack to solve problems and adapt to changing circumstances. Experienced, problem-solving coyotes have learned how to co-exist with humans. Their removal from a pack will lead to more erratic behaviour, placing humans at greater risk.

Peaceful Coexistence

In most cases, conflict with coyotes can be traced back to human behaviour. Here are some of the steps we can take to avoid conflict:

  1. Don’t feed coyotes. They will become less wary and more likely to approach humans.
  2. Eliminate food sources: pet food, overflowing bird feeders, fallen fruit, open garbage bins or uncovered compost piles.
  3. Keep your dogs on a leash.
  4. Educate your neighbours by sharing printed material or holding a community information session. Bylaws prohibiting wildlife feeding are effective educational tools and deterrents.
  5. Educate coyotes. Never run from a coyote – make yourself loud and large (e.g. pick up small children or dogs or wave your arms above your head). Use motion-sensitive lights or sprinkler systems to make your yard less appealing.

Further Information

The Coyote Next Door [bioGraphic]

Coyotes [The Fur-Bearers]

Coexisting with Coyotes [Coyote Watch Canada]

Breaking Down the Coyote Mating Meme [The Fur-Bearers]

Beyond the Numbers: The Hidden Fragility of Animal Societies [The Fur-Bearers]

Surviving the Purge: How Coyotes Respond to Predator Control [Subarctic Angling]

Coyote Watch Canada's Municipal Canid Response Strategy [Coyote Watch Canada]

Wildlife Species You Won’t Find on Vancouver Island [The Fur-Bearers]

Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/apmckinlay/52106051551

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