Coyote Attacks: Protect Your Pets and Yourself

I live in a neighborhood on the edge of town with lots of outside cats. At night, coyotes visit the neighborhood more than my neighbor's realize. I listen to their distance voices as they hunt at night when I have my dogs outside. If one is close by, my dogs let me know with their nervous body language. They may not see the wild animal; but they can smell it. Last week a coyote ran howling through my next door neighbor's backyard chasing something. As his excited yowls drifted quickly away, I knew whatever he was chasing was running for their life. I didn't know at the time it was my neighbor's cat. I found out the next morning their cat was missing. It's just an assumption her cat was the animal the coyote was chasing, but she never wandered far from home and she's still missing. The chance a pet will meet a coyote eye to eye is greater than you may think. Cats and small dogs left on their own to battle a cunning predator has a slim chance of escaping when a coyote attacks.

When wolves ruled the lands; coyote populations were kept in check by their larger cousin and natural predator; the wolf. After man began a campaign of eliminating the wolf from ecosystems, the coyote adapted and flourished on lands once occupied by the wolf. Bear, alligator, mountain lion and man are the only other enemies of the coyote . And as with the wolf; coyotes' existence is threatened more by man than from their other enemies. Coyotes are found everywhere and hunt in packs where large game is found and solo if their prey is small. If you see one animal; there's likely more around.

Coyotes are not evil creatures preying on our pets. They are, however, opportunistic hunters trying to survive in a world with people. Coyotes and people can co-exist if we take precautions that keeps the fear of man ingrained in the mind of the animal. Our smell is on everything we touch and when a coyote associates human smell with food, he has lost his fear of man and is a dangerous animal. Never leave pet food sitting outside in bags or in food bowels. Secure garbage cans, with locking lids, so they can't be knocked over or keep them in a garage or other storage areas. Keep compost piles in fenced in areas. Keep fruit cleaned up under fruit trees and don't leave it sitting outside. Coyotes will eat anything.

The average weight of a coyote is between 20 to 50 pounds depending on which area of the country they live in. Animals living in the mountains are larger with a thicker coat. Coyotes are medium sized and remind some people of a collie or even a small German Shepherd. To me, they look like a smaller and thinner wolf with a more narrow face and bigger ears. Males have a larger territory than females. Medium and large dogs can defend themselves against a coyote attack, but small dogs and cats can't. Attacks on pets can happen day or night. A six foot fence surrounding your yard or the area where your dog or small child plays can help protect them from a sudden attack. Coyotes can jump fences and walls and you may need to add extenders at the top and bottom of your fence. Make sure it's tight at the bottom to keep them from crawling or digging under the fence. Coyotes are intelligent animals and it's not a good idea to leave your dog or cat unattended outside, especially at dusk and dawn, if you know there are coyotes in your area. Erect two or three 7 to 8 foot tall posts around your yard an outside cat can easily climb with a platform on top where he/she can sit until it's safe to return to the ground. Never approach a coyote and never feed them. Supervise small children while they are outside. Coyotes hunt mostly at night, but they are also active during daylight hours.

If you see a coyote in your yard or while hiking, treat him with respect, but don't back down. Calmly stand your ground as you slowly move away and do not run. Coyotes rarely attack adult humans because we are bigger, but they will attack small children. Never turn your back on a coyote and keep eye contact with him. Be aware of your body language and don't give any signals that might indicate you're submitting to him or afraid. If he's crouched down and looks like he's stalking you; he is. You can intimidate a coyote by yelling. Raise your arms or hold a backpack or jacket over your head to make yourself look bigger. If he should attack, use a walking stick, broom, shovel or anything else available as a defensive weapon. When he sees you are a force to be reckoned with, he will back down and leave. If you're hiking or walking and don't have a walking stick, throw anything you can find and if there's sand or gravel around, throw it in his eyes. If it's at night and you have a flashlight, shine the light directly in his eyes. Pick up a small pet and keep a leash on a larger dog. Keep a small child behind you and make sure he/she doesn't get scared and try to run away. Pick a child up if you aren't sure how he/she will react. Don't let your dog off leash when you're hiking in coyote country.

We don't need to kill coyotes to live safely with them. The best way to protect pets is to keep them inside at night and in a fenced in area during the day. Nature should be respected and we need to understand coyotes are trying to survive just like we are and they have a right to life. Wolves are an important keystone species that helps keep a balance of nature in ecosystems they live in. Coyotes are also an important and needed predator in environments where wolves have been eliminated to maintain a balance of nature. Don't fear the animal, learn to live with the coyote we share our lands with.

More from Linda:

Keystone Species and Their Role in the Environment
How America's Wildlife Conservation Movement was Born
The Dog Breed That's Saving Cheetahs From Extinction