Coyotes in urban settings

If a coyote shows up in the backyard of an urban or suburban home, the question isn’t what the animal is

doing in town. With all the resources that a city has to offer, why wouldn’t coyotes take up an urban or suburban life? Residential areas provide a year-round habitat for coyotes. Backyards contain mice, rabbits, squirrels and voles for prey. Also, coyotes aren’t hunted or trapped in urban areas, which helps them survive and takes their only natural predators (humans) out of the equation.

When concerned citizens contact a Missouri Conservation Agent about coyotes around their yard, the typical questions are, “Will it attack my pets or children?” or “Why does it look like it is not afraid of me?” Conservation Agents want to reduce the callers alarm as well as educate the caller about wildlife behavior.

One must first look at the secret behind the coyote’s survival success, which is his diet. Coyotes are true scavengers and will eat just about anything. Their diet includes, but is not limited to: groundhogs, mice, rabbits, squirrels, voles, birds, vegetables, fruits, insects, dead animals, garbage, and even dog/cat food. Coyotes have been known to attack small pets such as dogs and cats. These attacks most commonly result from the coyote viewing the pets as competition for their food source.

How can conflicts between people and coyotes be minimized? The three key elements are: food, fear and vigilance. First, you must ensure that your property has no food sources readily available for coyotes. If food is deliberately or inadvertently provided by people, the coyotes will quickly learn not to fear humans and will develop a dependency on these easy food sources. Do not leave pet food outside, securely cover all trash containers and refrain from dumping table scraps on the property. If pet food must be left outside, only leave it out during the day. Second, instill into coyotes a fear for humans. If

a coyote is seen around your property, you should do everything possible to make it feel unwelcome. Yelling, banging pots and pans together, throwing rocks or blowing air horns are a few things that you can do to scare the coyote off. If the encounter with humans is unpleasant, the coyote will be less likely to return. Finally, vigilance with regard to pets and small children is extremely important. It is recommended that pet owners not leave their pets outside unattended, especially at dusk, nighttime and

dawn. These are periods that coyotes are most active. Installing a fence around your yard may also help to keep a barrier between your family and coyotes. Fences should be at least six feet in height.

Coyote attacks on people are rare but not unheard of. No attacks on humans have been recorded in Missouri, but have been recorded in other parts of the United States. Remember, coyotes are part of nature and should be left alone. They are just trying to make a “living” just like everyone else. To learn more about coyotes, visit the Missouri Department of Conservation’s website at mdc.mo.gov. For questions regarding human wildlife conflicts, feel free to contact Pemiscot County Conservation Agent Brian Shelton at (573)757-8357.