Humans & Coyotes
Learn how to respond during a coyote encounter and how to avoid conflict.
Human-Coyote Conflicts
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Most urban coyotes and people don’t have conflicts. Coyotes try to avoid humans and generally don’t rely on food from us (such as garbage and pet food). However, people and coyotes sometimes come into conflict with each other, and it’s up to us to prevent that from happening.
Sometimes simply seeing a coyote in a neighborhood can make people feel uncomfortable. It can be startling to see a coyote close by, but seeing a coyote – even during the daytime – shouldn’t necessarily be cause for alarm. Coyotes are naturally curious, and will often watch people to see what they’re doing and make sure that they’re not posing a threat to coyote pups.
However, conflict can happen. It is impossible to reduce coyote populations in the long-term through lethal control (and in fact, lethal control can increase their populations; see this article for more on that), so learning more about how we can coexist with coyotes is key to reducing conflict.
Luckily, there are specific steps we can take to prevent and reduce conflict between humans and coyotes.
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Many people are concerned about the danger coyotes might pose to their pets. Cats and small dogs are the right sizes for prey, so we need to take steps to protect them. It’s important not to let cats and small dogs roam alone in unsecured spaces and without human supervision. In the District, it is a violation of DC’s leash law, and would certainly increase the risk of your pet being hit by a car.
If you leave your pets alone in a yard, especially at dawn, dusk, and at night, make sure you have a “coyote-proof” fence: at least six feet tall with no gaps big enough for a coyote to squeeze through. Some people will attach a “coyote roller” to their fences.
Clearly, the best way to protect your small pets is to keep them close to you when outside. Coyotes don’t understand the difference between our pet cats and small dogs and a rabbit or rodent, so it’s up to us to protect them.
Larger dogs can be seen as threats to coyotes, especially during mating season (generally January and February, sometimes extending into March) and when coyotes are protecting their pups, who are born in April or May.
During the summer months (typically June, July, and August), pups are kept at “rendezvous” sites where there is shelter provided by plants and bushes but no den. Coyotes can be particularly protective of their pups at this stage. Pups can be quite vulnerable without the security of a den, so it’s especially critical to keep dogs on leash during this period of time when in parks, especially if coyotes have been spotted nearby.
And remember, DC law and National Park Service regulations require dogs to be leashed when not on private property or in dedicated dog parks.
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Conflict can occur when coyotes start to associate humans with an easy meal, through people feeding them either directly or indirectly through unsecured garbage, pet food that’s left outside, open compost bins, and so on. Taking the necessary measures to avoid indirectly feeding coyotes also means that you won’t be unintentionally feeding other animals, such as rats. Never feed coyotes on purpose, no matter much you might enjoy viewing them.
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If you see a coyote, it’s important not to panic. Coyotes will generally shy away from people, and often just noticing people nearby will be enough to drive the animals away. However, if you see a coyote, it’s a good idea to pick up any small dogs you’re walking with, keep larger dogs on a short leash, and hold the hand of any child you might be with. Do not run away! Just like running away from your dog can make him or her chase you, running away from a coyote can trigger a prey response and the coyote might chase you as well.
Hazing
Although changing human behavior is the best way to prevent or reduce conflict, we can also try to change coyotes’ behavior so that they learn to avoid humans. If a coyote does not leave the area once you spot the animal, you might want to try hazing to help teach them this lesson. Hazing is particularly useful when trying to deter coyotes from spending time in particular places where they won’t be welcome, such as backyards and playgrounds. Click here for a great demonstration video.
Low-level hazing includes yelling at the coyote, waving your arms around, and walking towards the animal. Make sure to continue hazing until the coyote has left the area completely (in other words, don’t stop once the coyote has moved a little distance away but is still visible). You can also throw small objects towards the coyote (for example, sticks or small stones, or a “coyote rattler” – a soda can or other container with stones secured inside so that it makes noise when it hits the ground). Be sure to throw objects toward the coyote and not at the coyote! The goal is to scare, not hurt the animal. You can also use whistles or other noisemakers.
It is very important to only haze coyotes when they're somewhere they shouldn't be (like your backyard, or a playground). Don't haze them if you come across them in the woods in Rock Creek Park, for example, unless they approach you closely. Please don't haze a coyote that is injured or appears to be sick, and don't haze coyotes when they might be near dens or close to their pups (especially during the summer months).
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If you do see an injured coyote, contact the Brandywine Valley SPCA - DC at 202-888-PETS (7387). They're available 24 hours a day for animal emergencies. During the summer, coyotes will often "escort" people and dogs out of the vicinity of their pups in order to make sure that we won't hurt them. Hazing in this situation could put a coyote on the defensive and cause them to act to protect the pups, which can be dangerous for us. Here are some other tips from the Humane Society of the United States, an organization that has worked extensively with communities on coexisting with coyotes.
