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Thursday, September 8, 2011

 

Urban Coyotes

Written and published for the Brazos Country Monthly

General Information on Coyotes

The basic social unit is the family group, comprised of a mated pair and their offspring. Non-family coyotes include bachelor males, non-reproductive females, and near-mature young. They may live alone or form loose associations of two to six animals. The coyote is a very savvy and clever beast making it difficult to control. Coyotes have keen vision and a strong sense of smell, and they can hear up to 80 KHz, compared to the 60 KHz of dogs. During pursuit, they can run up to 43 mph and jump over 13 feet. Coyotes can easily jump an 8 foot fence, and have been spotted climbing a 14 foot cyclone fence.
Coyotes may be active throughout the day, but they tend to be more active during the early morning and around sunset. They are good swimmers.
The food habits of coyotes are varied. They are opportunists and make use of anything that can be eaten — garbage, carrion, fresh meat in the form of both wild and domestic animals, insects, frogs, snakes, fruits, melons, and so forth. Although coyotes prey on poultry and the smaller livestock, their natural foods consist largely of rabbits, rodents, and carrion. Coyotes will take their kill to a safe place to eat.  They may carry their prey up to a mile before consuming it.  They don’t leave much behind and tend to eat whatever they can fit in their mouth.  In some cases they may even eat a leather collar on a pet.  For this reason, not much evidence of an attack on a pet or any waste is left behind.
Evidence of coyote activity in Brazos Country includes tracks on the sandy shores of the nearby Brazos River, vocalizations around dusk including barks, growls, yips, whines and howls,  occasional sightings (even some in daylight), and attacks on pets which are usually fatal for small pets.
The breeding season begins in January, reaches its peak in late February or early March, and terminates by the middle of May.
Nursery dens are usually a burrow located in brush covered slopes, steep banks or thickets, and rarely, in hollow logs.  All of these environments are available in the Brazos Country area, primarily in the wooded area between the cleared reserve area and the river. Coyotes usually don't dig their own den. They will find an abandoned den of another animal and enlarge it.  It is rare for no den to be provided for the young. Dens are fairly easy to spot because of the trails leading away from the den. One litter a year is the rule. Normal litter size is one to 12 or up to 19, averaging about 6. The gestation period is 60 to 63 days.
Normally shy, coyotes have been known to attack human adults and children. The only known fatalities were in 1981 when a 3-year-old girl was playing unattended in her front yard and in 2009 when a 19-year-old women was attacked while hiking.
Coyotes carry diseases and parasites - distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus, and mange (caused by mites).  Coyotes also can be infected with rabies, and tularaemia that can be transmitted to other animals and humans.  Numerous parasites live on the coyote including mites, ticks, fleas, worms and flukes.  Coyotes are known to carry heart worm which can be transmitted to dogs.

Urban Coyotes

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department provides expertise and advice on urban wildlife issues, but does not implement nuisance coyote control. In some urban areas, Texas Wildlife Services assists with coordinating nuisance coyote control and public education. The Texas Wildlife Services officer for our area, Gary McEwen, in College Station can be reached at 979-845-6201. Shooting of coyotes does not require a hunting license or permit in Texas, and is permitted or banned by counties or incorporated areas. Urban coyotes are symptoms of a broader issue. People continue to expand human development into what formerly was open range wildlife habitat. This is increasing the potential for conflicts between people and wildlife. Trapping and similar nuisance control actions cannot eliminate urban coyote problems, although this can be part of the solution in some situations. The real solution and the greater need facing Texans right now is public education. We need to inform and empower people to take steps to coexist with coyotes and other urban wildlife. Some common sense precautions people can take to manage coyotes:
·       Do not feed coyotes! Keep pet food and water inside. Keep garbage securely stored, especially if it has to be put on the curb for collection; use tight-locking or bungee-corded wrapped trashcans that are not easily opened.
·       Keep compost piles securely covered; correct composting never includes animal matter like bones or fat, which can draw coyotes even more quickly than decomposing vegetable matter.
·       Keep pets inside, confined securely in a kennel or covered exercise yard, or within the close presence of an adult. Coyotes can easily jump an 8 foot fence, and have been spotted climbing a 14 foot cyclone fence.
·       Walk pets on a leash and accompany them outside, especially at night.
·       Do not feed wildlife on the ground; keep wild bird seed in feeders designed for birds elevated or hanging above ground, and clean up spilled seed from the ground; coyotes can be drawn directly to the seed, or to the rodents, like squirrels, drawn to the seed.
·       Keep fruit trees fenced or pick up fruit that falls to the ground.
·       Do not feed feral cats (domestics gone wild); this can encourage coyotes to prey on cats, as well as feed on cat food left out for them.
·       Minimize clusters of shrubs, trees and other cover and food plants near buildings and children’s play areas to avoid attracting small mammals that will in turn attract coyotes.
·       Use scaring devices when coyotes are seen. Check with Brazos Country authorities regarding noise and firearms ordinances. Portable air horns, motor vehicle horns, propane cannons, whistles, starter pistols, low-powered pellet guns, slingshots, shouting, arm-waving and thrown rocks can be effective.




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