" UPDATE: A Word of Caution To Local Municipalities, School Districts, Parks and Neighborhoods Concerning Urbanized Coyotes"

“Was notified by a resident of Stone Mountain that there were sightings of two coyotes in two different back yards this past weekend.”

I just wrote about this very thing in this article earlier this week. People and pet owners are fed up with Coyotes attacking and killing their Pets. Now one neighborhood in California is taking Legal Action against the city.

https://coyotewatch.wordpress.com/2015/12/09/153/

If a neighborhood in the most Liberal state of California has gotten fed up with Coyotes, you know it’s gotten to be a serious problem.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to speak with you today concerning the mass migration of coyotes into urban areas and the problems you, as Local Officials and Responsible Party’s will be facing in the coming days. Coyotes have invaded and overpopulated cites such as Atlanta, New York and Chicago to name a few. The cities that have experienced coyotes attacking and killing pets and attacking humans are too numerous to mention. This is a migration wave of epic proportions that is and will continue to cause ongoing nuisance issues in most of the areas you are responsible and possibly liable for. I have personally researched and trapped coyotes for many years. Most local municipalities hesitate to trap these Apex predators out due to undo influence by national and local animal rights groups. Some of these AR individuals have even gotten themselves elected to local and state government positions. Many officials are “influenced” by these ignorant people due to lobbying efforts and “benefits”from them who truly do not have the community’s best interest at heart. In the mean time, problems, attacks and killings continue to grow at a substantial pace.

Coexistence is not an option when Aggressive and Nuisance coyotes overpopulate an area. Trapping and removing a certain number of these wild canines to limit the spread of numerous potentially fatal and debilitating communicable diseases is just as or more important as limiting the number of coyote attacks on Livestock, Pets and Humans. No other option is a SOLUTION to this problem. A certain number must be trapped out on an annual or bi-annual basis to manage the population and pro actively manage the spread of diseases such as Rabies, Taneia(which has been verified in Georgia Coyotes by the UGA Veterinary Hospital), Cystic echinocccosis , Alveolar echinococcosis, Echinococcus multilocularis, Canine distemper, canine parvo, Plague, Naturally occurring Ehrlichia chaffeensis, and many others communicable to pets and then to humans. (reports on these diseases can be found in the links to the CDC below). Just as the deer populations must be hunted to manage that population to reduce the number of car/deer related accidents, so it is with the Predators. For anyone to say that trapping coyotes out of an area doesn’t work is scientifically inaccurate and irrational. Wildlife Management is just that, Management. They have a very shallow knowledge of this Predator or they have a political agenda. I provide to you a 25 year Coyote control study from Glendale, California. where coyotes had invaded the city and surrounding suburban areas. Numerous calls were made to the law enforcement and city governments asking them to do something about the problem. Little was done until one morning a 3 year old girl was attacked and killed in her driveway by a habituated Urban coyote.( http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/v...) ONLY THEN, did the city call in trappers and shooters to cull the coyote population.

It is quite Irresponsible and Unconscionable to Me that an innocent child had to die before local government officials would do something about the problem. I personally would not want that on my Conscience. You as representatives of the people will be facing a Perfect Storm of coyote migration into your locales, if you haven’t already. The only management process proven, all over the United States, to manage the population is Targeted Trapping. Eradication is physically impossible and unrealistic. As a Professional Trapper I highly recommend that you be Pro Active and address the issues promptly. Coyotes can have litters ranging from 9 upwards to 17 pups. The Coyote Breeding season here in Georgia is January-February. The population, if not managed thru trapping can get out of hand very quickly. If someone is scratched or bitten by a coyote or fox the cost for the Post Exposure Rabies series is very expensive, typically averaging $5000 or more, not to mention the potential lawsuits you could possibly face by refusing to address the issue. The animals rights groups do not care about attacks on pets or humans. Hazing as recommended by HSUS or your local Animal Shelter will not work, or only work temporarily because the coyotes will become Habituated or Desensitized to it. The State DNR will not assist you. The only real solution is to trap the majority of the population out.

Wildlife Management, especially concerning Coyotes, is an ongoing process. There is NO one time fixes all solution. With the high litter numbers it will be an ongoing war that you will have to face and deal with. Unfortunately, this is the Reality. This is the “New Normal” in Wildlife Management today. Local governments all over the country are facing this issue and it is only going to get worse. I would also suggest preparing your annual budgets to include removal for these animals if you are experiencing overpopulation issues and attacks on pets in your areas of responsibility. From a Business and Legal standpoint, “It is very possible that these removal services would be TAX DEDUCTIBLE. And being Pro Active could dramatically reduce your liability should lawsuits arise because at minimum you could show that you are being Pro Active and trying to do something about the problem.” Knowing the behavior of both rural and urbanized coyotes, it is my Professional opinion that someone will be killed by a pack here in Georgia within the next 5 years, I hope and pray it is not a child.

I understand that there is a major coyote overpopulation and habituation issue at Stone Mountain Park. I saw the news report about the lady’s dog being killed by three coyotes the other day. I personally spoke with one user who sees packs of 3-4 coyotes on a regular basis in areas adjacent to the walking trails around the mountain. I was told that one pack actually lives on one part of the mountain. The question is, do park officials have a plan to manage this issue?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Tim Ivey is a Professional State Certified Wildlife Trapper and Wildlife Disease Researcher. He is President of Eastern Wolfers Wildlife Mangement, LLC. If you would like real solutions to your nuisance wildlife issues, Tim can be reached at 404-583-2378. His website is www.easternwolferscoyotetrappers.com

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