Veterans Oasis Park

Remember, the human is dominant and must act that way. Here are some things to remember:

1. Never approach a coyote.
2. Show you are dominant by keeping eye contact with the animal.
3. Yell or make loud noises with whistles, blaring music, or pots and pans.
4. Encourage coyotes to leave by spraying with a hose, throwing sticks or rocks near them, or shaking a can filled with pennies or pebbles.
5. Don’t stimulate a coyote’s chase instinct by running.
6. Pick up small pets.
7. Protect small children so they won’t panic and run.

Also, to scare a coyote away, you should act as large and threatening as possible. Make aggressive gestures with your arms and legs, or by waving an object at the animal. Move toward an area with other people or a building.

Small children can be at risk from coyotes. However, in Arizona, it is rare for a coyote to bite any human. In Maricopa County, eight coyote bites were reported between 1994 and 2004, and all of them were attributed to human feeding. Supervise children under 5 years old wherever wildlife may be a concern, especially near a source of water like a pool, around streets that coyotes can use as travel corridors, and with domestic dogs that could attract or fight with coyotes.

A unified neighborhood effort is crucial to keep coyotes away from your home and yard.

Pets most likely to be endangered by coyotes are typically off-leash or smaller than 25 pounds. Coyotes have taken cats and small dogs in the vicinity of their owners and occasionally right off the leash. Coyotes have also been reported to attack larger dogs when the coyotes are in groups, or after one or two have lured a dog away from its owner. Here are suggestions for keeping your dog or cat safe:

1. Supervise small pets at all times when outside.
2. Allow pets off-leash only in enclosed areas. If your dog is off-leash, be sure it has immediate recall response to prevent conflicts with coyotes and other wildlife.
3. Take steps to keep coyotes out of your yard (see tips at right).
4. If you see a coyote when walking your dog, then let the coyote know you are there. Either gather your dog in your arms or keep it as close to you as possible, while also using some of the deterrents described above.
5. Move toward an area of human activity.
6. Keep cats indoors or in a secure outdoor enclosure to protect them from coyotes, other wildlife (owls, hawks, etc.) and also from cars, domestic dogs and disease.

If there is a regular coyote food source in one yard on your block, then coyotes will be active throughout the neighborhood. All potential food sources must be removed to keep the coyotes from becoming dangerously comfortable around humans. An indifferent attitude toward a coyote in your yard has the same effect as feeding it. If a coyote is in your yard, then you need to make the animal aware it is not welcome.

 Here are some things you can do:

1. Do not feed wildlife.
2. Store garbage inside or in wildlife-proof containers.
3. Place trash containers outside at the last possible time on day of pickup.
4. Feed pets inside or remove uneaten pet food between feedings.
5. Keep pets indoors or on a leash. When outside, keep pets in a secure enclosure with a roof or supervise at all times.
6. Supervise small children.
7. Trim back plants and bushes around the house to prevent hiding or resting places.
8. Install outdoor lighting.
9. Reduce a coyote’s ability to get over a fence or wall by building it at least 6 feet tall, burying the bottom a few inches underground, and installing barbed wire, electric wire, or a pipe that spins around a wire on the top.

You can also make a “coyote shaker,” which is a soft drink can filled with washers, pebbles or pennies, wrapped in foil and taped closed, or you can make a “can clanger,” which is three or four empty cans connected to each other with string or rubber bands. Shake either of these to scare away coyotes. The combination of the light reflecting on the foil or cans, the noise made by the clanging of the cans, and the aggressive gesture of shaking them provides several deterrents.

Coyotes can be rabid. However, the Arizona Department of Health Services records show an extremely low occurrence of rabid coyotes in the state.

It is your responsibility to know the laws. Coyotes can only be captured or killed by someone with a proper license from the Arizona Game and Fish Department, or in defense of yourself or another person. Check your local ordinances regarding the use of firearms and traps. It is unlawful to feed coyotes in Maricopa and Pima Counties per Arizona Revised Statute 13-2927. Violations can result in a fine of up to $300.