Coyote Sightings On The Rise In Mountain Brook

MOUNTAIN BROOK, AL - Seeing a coyote in Alabama is not uncommon, as the species has been known to roam the plains, forests and mountains of just about all of the United States. However, seeing one of these creatures in your backyard can be cause for alarm. Mountain Brook residents have reported coyote sightings at an increased rate in the last year, and the Mountain Brook Police Department recently addressed the issue.

"Our Animal Control Officers have always been trained in and tasked with dealing with Domestic Animals, dogs and cats, not wild animals," said MBPD Chief Ted Cook. "They have gone above and beyond over the years helping many animals that do not fall into the domesticated animal area. They will continue to do so where safe and feasible."

However, Cook said, the process of trapping a predator like a coyote can be problematic. "It is a difficult and specialized skill," Cook said. "When successfully trapped, one cannot simply relocate a predator animal to another location to become someone else's problem. To dispose of a captured predator, even using 'humane' euthanasia methods draws tremendous backlash from parts of the community. Experts in the field have told us that even if you remove some predator, another is nearby to replace it. Nature abhors a vacuum!"

Vestavia Hills last year looked into an outside vendor to solve the city's coyote issue, to some success, but Cook's assessment rings true that rounding all of them up and displacing them is not a possibility.

"Over the years we have posted to this site various messages for co-existing with our predator populations," Cook said. "We will continue to post such information for public educational purposes. For any actively aggressive animal please call the Police Department and we will come try to handle accordingly."

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has a few tips for residents in helping curb coyotes from entering residential property:

1. Fence in your yard.
It's a more costly option, but the surest way to keep coyotes away.

2. Make sure they don't have a food source.
Avoid feeding your pets outside and store their food in your house so coyotes aren't tempted to take the food from your porch in the evening. Keep your trash cans sealed tightly, and if you have a garden, fence it in.

3. Keep your yard maintained.
Reducing a coyote's opportunities for shelter deters them from coming around your yard. Keep grass cut short and bushes and trees trimmed.

4. Bring your pets in at night.
Unfortunately, coyotes will kill and eat household pets like dogs and cats. the easiest way to avoid this is to make sure pets come inside at night.

5. Know how to "haze" a coyote.
If you encounter a coyote on your property, the easiest way to get rid of it is to practice hazing. Make yourself as big and loud as possible by waving your arms, clapping your hands and shouting at the coyote. Banging pots and pans or using an airhorn are also effective if they're available. If the coyote doesn't respond by running, move closer until it does. Do not turn your back on a coyote or attempt to run. Squirt guns and hoses are also effective deterrents.

You can also buy special repellents, motion-activated floodlights and other products specifically made for keeping coyotes away.

If you plan to shoot a coyote found on your property, be sure to have a small game permit and to exercise extreme caution in neighborhoods.