Having it's nearby neighbor of Chicago, Illinois engaged in over a decade long Urban Coyote Study, Milwaukee, Wisconsin initiated their own version over the past few years with the goal of trying to find best ways for Coyotes and Man to successfully coexist together........ “We can coexist with urban coyotes"--Julia Robson, Assistant Natural Areas Coordinator for the Milwaukee County Parks Department

https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=http://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/outdoors/2017/07/05/smith-coyote-project-offers-insight-into-lives-adaptable-species/450952001/&ct=ga&cd=CAEYACoTOTEyNzE1NTM0MTAwMDUyMzA3ODIaZjUwOWE2YjQ0ZTNkYzY4OTpjb206ZW46VVM&usg=AFQjCNFk08YoC2jOaK8eTeFWd7yXNBAtgg

Smith: Coyote project offers

 insight into lives of adaptable, 

valuable species

Paul A. Smith , Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Published  July 5, 2017 

The coyote was known to researchers as
 No. 4.

As it turned out, he'll be remembered as
 "Interstate Traveler."

From a distance, the young male with
 the thick, tawny coat was

 distinguishable by a blue tag affixed to
 each ear.

The colored markings and a unique
 serial number, attached in 

February 2016 in West Allis by
 researchers with the Milwaukee

 County coyote project, were designed
 to allow the animal to be

 identified as it carried out its life.

Adult male coyote: 44–52" 
(including 14" tail),

 25–42 lbs.
Illustration courtesy of the 
Wisconsin Department

 of Natural Resources

The primary goal was for county
 residents to record observations of 

No. 4 and three other coyotes as part
 of a public education and 

citizen science effort.

The tags would allow study of
individual animals and estimates

 of their home ranges, for example.
 Or, if one of the animals 

showed a tendency for approaching
humans too closely or 

other concerning behavior,
 authorities could take action to 

remove the "problem coyote."

click on this link to see where
Coyotes have been spotted

in the greater Milwaukee region

http://www.inaturalist.org/projects
/milwaukee-county-coyote-watch

But no one knew the individualized
markings would highlight

 the coyote's ability for long-range
 dispersal.

Sometime in 2016 or early 2017,
 No. 4 moved south across

 the Wisconsin-Illinois border.

And in February, the animal
 was seen on the grounds of 

O'Hare International Airport in
 Chicago.

On March 1, U.S Department
of Agriculture authorities

 reported they killed No. 4 on
the airport property. The 

coyote was shot as part of
routine, lethal control efforts 

at the airfield to prevent
aircraft collisions with wildlife.

As the crow flies, it's 82 miles
 from West Allis to O'Hare. 

The coyote likely traveled
 many times that distance in its 

southward journey.


Coyote lounging adjacent
 to O'Hare Airport,
Chicago, Illinois

Young male animals, including
 coyotes, are known to

 disperse to find new territories. 

But the distance traveled by
No. 4 was notable, said Julia

 Robson, assistant natural
areas coordinator for the 

Milwaukee County Parks
Department. 

"We know they are capable
of moving many miles, but 

this wasn't something we
expected to find from one of 

our suburban coyotes,"
 Robson said. "It shows another

 aspect that has allowed
coyotes to successfully adapt

 to our human dominated
 environments."

No. 4 was live-trapped, tagged
 and released along with 

three other coyotes as part of
 a joint project of the

 parks department, the
Wisconsin Department of Natural 

Resources and researchers with
 the Urban Canid Projec

t at the University of Wisconsin.


Coyotes in Wisconsin doing their
 job to reduce rodent
and the exploding, non-migratory
 Canadian Geese population

The work is designed to gain
a
better understanding of

 the animals’ territories and
 behaviors. It also includes a 

public education campaign
 designed to reduce conflicts

 between the area’s human
 population and the wild canids.

Coyotes are native to North
 America but originated in the 

southwest United States,
according to the DNR. The 

animals are habitat generalists
 and inhabit a wide variety 

of land types ranging from wild
to agricultural to urban.

This adaptability has allowed
coyotes to successfully

 colonize cities and subdivisions.

Coyotes feed primarily on rodents
 but also prey on 

white-tailed deer, squirrels,
rabbits, Canada geese 

and free-roaming cats.

Milwaukee Coyote blending in
beautifully with grass cover

If garbage or pet food is left
out, coyotes also will take 

advantage of these food
sources.

Coyotes are naturally skittish
and secretive. In urban or

 suburban areas, the animals
 tend to be more nocturnal.

Many human residents never
 know coyotes are living nearby.

The species' adaptability, along
 with the regional decline

 of larger predators, has
 facilitated a dramatic range 

expansion of coyotes over
the last century.


Milwaukee Coyote with pups

Coyotes are

 now found all across North
America and have established

 themselves in every major
city continent-wide.

The Milwaukee County coyote
 project was initiated at

 least partly in response to
 two incidents in 2015 in which

 coyotes killed pets in
Wauwatosa and one case in

 January 2016 in which a
 Wauwatosa resident reported

 being followed to within 30
 feet by a coyote.

The parks department
obtained temporary funding to 

conduct the coyote trapping
and monitoring effort.

It has yielded positive results,
Robson said.

"One of the tagged animals
 showed up several times

 near homes in Wauwatosa,"
Robson said. "But after

 pet food was removed from
 the yards and the

 residents started hazing
 (waving arms and yelling), 

the coyote stopped coming
around."

Milwaukee Coyote-tawny colored

The coyote, also a young male,
 wears green-and-gold

 ear tags. It has since been
seen in Wauwatosa and

 hasn't caused problems.

Coyotes dig dens and bear
 pups in late winter and spring. 

From June to August, pups
 begin accompanying adults on

 foraging trips.

With human use of county
 parks at an annual high in 

summer, Robson said it's
especially important fo warn

people to not feed wildlife. 

"One of the keys to preventing
coyote problems is to

 not habituate the animals to
humans," Robson said.

 "If they don't associate humans
 with food, the odds 

of conflicts are much reduced."

Milwaukee Coyote in Winter

It's important, too, for residents
 to abide by leash 

ordinances when visiting public
 lands with their pets.

Although no funding was
 available to tag more 

coyotes this year, Robson
 encourages people to

 record coyote observations
on the 

Milwaukee County Coyote Watch
 page of

iNaturalist.org.

Not all local coyotes will turn
out to be long-distance

 ramblers like No. 4. But all the
observations will be helpful.

They may even discover a
coyote that has moved to

 Milwaukee County from another
 state.

And from a larger perspective,
citizen awareness 

and knowledge will help people
 live with fewer 

conflicts with coyotes, a valuable
part of the ecosystem.

“Through a proactive process,
we can address problems

 before they become a matter
of human or pet safety,”

 Robson said. “We can coexist 
with urban coyotes.

 Not all are problem animals.”

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http://county.milwaukee.gov/Image
Library/Public/

MilwaukeeCounty/Parks/Coyotes/
MilwaukeeCountyUrbanCoyote

ManagementPlan.pdf

http://county.milwaukee.gov/Image
Library/Public/Milwaukee

County/Parks/Coyotes/Appendix9
_ResearchSummary.pdf