COYOTES DO BEST WHEN LEFT ALONE
I killed a coyote. I didn't mean to kill it. The coyote was just doing its job when it chased a field rat in front of my vehicle. It happened so quickly and the canine was so concentrating on catching the rodent that I doubt if it even knew I was there. Coyotes are tough, but an encounter with a couple of metric tons of steel moving at speed isn't something that they've evolved to survive.
Curiously, the hispid cotton rat that it was attempting to catch was at a precise distance from the coyote so that it was caught under the right tire while the left tire intercepted its pursuer.
Coyotes can be found from southern Canada to Central America. Our modern highways have paved the way for these expansions, bridging barriers such as the Mississippi River.
Outside of urban and suburban habitats, coyotes aren't much of a problem. Their consumption of rodents and carrion is actually beneficial to us. It's when they come in contact with human beings, our pets or our livestock that they become a nuisance.
Until recently, people who do research on coyotes thought they wouldn't push too far into urban areas. Unfortunately, that hypothesis was shown to be wrong. Humans have eliminated predators that would otherwise control coyotes. We've expanded into their natural territory and now, due to population pressures, coyotes are returning the favor by adapting to our habitats.
That adaptation was made easy by their natural flexibility. Coyotes are predators. They prefer to feed on rodents and rabbits, but they also will consume just about anything organic. If they can digest it, it's food. In the fall, a coyote will gorge on large quantities of fruit. They also will munch down on large insects such as cicadas and grasshoppers. A hungry coyote won't pass up a meal of road kill, even if it's a fellow coyote -- especially in winter, when other food sources are limited. If they can reach them, they will kill small pets, livestock or poultry.
Controlling coyotes isn't easy. It even may be beyond our current capabilities. However, there are things you can do to ameliorate their effects. Number one: Never feed a coyote. No matter how well intended, feeding any wild animal will almost always have bad results. If a coyote finds you to be an easy mark, they will not only hang around, they'll tell their entire family about you.
Next, never leave small pets outside unattended where they can be attacked. Third, put your trash in tightly sealed containers and don't leave any pet food out overnight. Even your bird feeders can attract a hungry coyote by attracting rodents. If you have any fruit trees, pick up any fallen fruit and dispose of them.
Most human/coyote interactions occur during the spring and summer, when coyotes are trying to feed their pups, but encounters can happen any time. If you run across a coyote, don't go anywhere near it. If they're too close when you come upon them, make loud noises. Coyotes are naturally fearful of us. However, constant association with people in urban and suburban sites can cause coyotes to lose that fear. If shouting doesn't work, try throwing something at them.
If you are attacked by a coyote (and this does happen on very rare occasions), contact your local law enforcement agency.
Unlike Wile E. Coyote in those Warner Brothers cartoons, coyotes really are extremely cunning and can be worthy opponents. So, if you seem to have a perpetual problem with these creatures, you may want to contact a professional.
For the most part, coyotes are our allies. In town or out of town, they help to manage rats and mice. It's our fault that they're here and, since we've created a coyote-friendly environment, we may just have to learn to live with them.
Tim Lockley, a specialist in entomology, is retired from a 30-year career as a research scientist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. For answers to individual questions, please send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Tim Lockley, c/o Sun Herald, P.O. Box 4567, Biloxi, MS 39535.
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