Coyotes
Early this morning, my daughter, Bea (shiba) and I went running and a coyote came running up behind us and passed us. If it was not for us or Bea, I am pretty sure one of us would have been coyote chow. But, Bea, started trying to chase after the coyote! She didn't bark, she just wanted to run after it? Why?! That thing could eat you!!!
How often do you see coyotes in your neighborhood? What should you do to "escape" from a coyote? Stand still? Run away?
How often do you see coyotes in your neighborhood? What should you do to "escape" from a coyote? Stand still? Run away?
Comments
Barring "get a big, scary dog", I agree with @shishiinu. Acting "aggressively" seems to do the trick. Running away or freezing up might only instigate their prey drive.
Urban area coyotes are more bold due to being near humans more often and getting food from their trash, cat food etc.. I'd carry a big stick, dog spray just in case or something. coyotes will go for dogs on leas too..
I always make a racket with the ones I seen even when they ran off without me saying anything to keep them extra scared.. I was alone no dogs at the time, but had hard walking stick that could do some damage my recent coyote encounter was Yesterday. I've came upon coyote kills rabbit leftover under snow my guess left for latter I dunno..
Just be careful even though you shiba was brave Bea is probably no match for a hungry coyote..
I know Bel gotten attacked by one on her face through the fence.
Jessika Coyotes I seen are cute especially the wolfpark ones the calender for this year has a picture of the two as little pups so cute!
Only coyote not cute is one attacking me out of hunger or rabid.. Seeing as my forest has plenty of rabbits and deer etc. They're full..
As Nicole noted above, my Shiba, Bel, was attacked by them, and pretty badly injured. Since the bites were all on the head and neck, we think she had her head sticking out of the fence.
They're pretty fearless around here, too. My husband saw a big one strolling out of our neighbor's yard not too long ago, and he stopped the car and honked his horn at it, and it just stopped and stared at him. My vet said that someone not too far from here lost a lab last fall to a coyote attack.....the people came out and saw several coyotes attacking the dog, in the yard, and yelled, and the coyotes did finally go away, but weren't particularly scared of the people. As I said, the dog died. And my vets, who live near us, have seen coyotes in their (fenced) yard, too, so they always go out at night when they take their fox terriers out.
They'll go after dogs and cats, but don't go after people, though there have been a few odd incidents occasionally.
They are very beautiful. I always kind of like seeing them, or rather I would if I didn't have to worry about them going after the Shibas!
When I went out to California, though, my friend pointed out a coyote and I would not have guessed that it was a coyote. It was so much smaller and WAY more adorable than the coyotes I'm used to seeing. I wonder if it's a regional thing (what is IN our WATER?) or if something else is going on.
Basically I think they are pretty clever and well fed, so they are getting to grow pretty big.
As long as they continue to choose to not interact with me, I am pretty alright with them.
We were charged by a coyote (with his pack standing behind) in New Mexico and that was an ugly affair. He didn't get to the dogs but got awfully close. Here in Texas I allow my guys a full off the leash run in a dry lake bed (thanks to the drought) and at 11:00am one day they cornered a small female (40-50lbs) and they just had a standoff with my two dogs barking at the coyote and she barking back. With the arrival of me running up, throwing rocks and making a lot of noise she was off to the races. It would not have been the same outcome at night or, if she had been with a pack. The drought here in Texas is driving the coyotes farther afield for food and they are becoming bolder and bolder - similar to urban coyotes. For those who live in areas where coyotes are normal visitors it really is a good policy to haze them when safely possible. Yell, make noise, honk horns (in certain areas I carry a small air horn), throw rocks at them, spray water at them from a hose - or anything safely you can do to annoy them and make them less comfortable around people. In an obtuse way you are re-teaching them to avoid people. Also, when in an area known to have coyotes, if possible try to avoid walking the dogs at dusk and dawn - statistically these are the two prime attack times.
Lastly don't forget that they can, and often do, carry rabies, so that is just another less than welcome problem that an attack can bring.
(There are rumors, though, that someone who had some exotic animals--wolf hybrids? Actual wolves? released some in this area and they've bred with coyotes to make a wolf/coyote hybrid, but I suspect that is just a rumor to "explain" the size of the big coyotes). They really are beautiful, and it's always kind of exciting to see them--but I prefer it to be from a distance and not around the dogs!
I was posting at the same time as Bluemouse, but wanted to add that yes, these NM coyotes seem to be pretty bold!
Down in Huntington Beach my friend was stalked by a coyote a few times while walking his corgi. :T He had to chase it off. The third time though the coyote wouldn't back down. Luckily nothing happened though.
Genetic Characterization of Eastern “Coyotes” in Eastern
Massachusetts
Jonathan G. Way1, Linda Rutledge2, Tyler Wheeldon2,
and Bradley N. White2
Abstract - This study examined the genetic nature and relatedness of Canis latrans
(Coyotes) in eastern Massachusetts (i.e., eastern Coyotes). We characterized 67 animals
at the mitochondrial DNA control region, and 55 of those at 8 microsatellite loci.
Structure analysis and factorial correspondence analysis of the microsatellite genotypes
indicated that the eastern Coyotes in Massachusetts clustered with other northeastern
Canis populations and away from western Coyotes, C. lycaon (Eastern Wolves), and
C. lupus (Gray Wolves). They contained mitochondrial haplotypes from both western
Coyotes and Eastern Wolves, consistent with their hybrid origin from these two species.
There was no evidence of either C. lupus familiaris (Domestic Dog) or Gray Wolf
mitochondrial DNA in the animals. These results indicate that the eastern Coyote should
more appropriately be termed “Coywolf” to refl ect their hybrid (C. latrans x lycaon)
origin. Genetic data were also used to assess parental and kinship relationships, and confi
rmed that family units typically contain an unrelated breeding pair and their offspring.
Lastly, a synthesis of knowledge of the eastern Coyote as well as implications for Wolf
recovery in the northeast US is provided.
http://www.ny1.com/content/153022/east-new-york-s-wolf-dog-may-have-been-a-pet
I haven't had any problems while walking/hiking in Nature Reserves. Sometimes I hear them but I never actually see any "wild" Coyotes.