coyote tip sheet - chicago.gov€¦ · coyote tip sheet coyotes are becoming increasingly common in...

CoyoteTipSheet

CoyotesarebecomingincreasinglycommonincitiesacrosstheU.S.Evenindenselypopulatedareas,coyotesmaintainanavoidanceofhumansandthepotentialforinteractionislow.Tomaintainasafedistance,homeownersareinstructedtolimitavailabilityoffoodontheirpropertyandhazeindividualcoyotesincasesofdirectencounters.Thetechniquesoutlinedbelowaremeanttoinfluencecoexistenceand,iffollowedbyresidents,thelikelihoodofnegativeinteractionsbetweencoyotesandhumans/petsisunlikely.StepstoAvoidCoyote-HumanConflict

1. DonotfeedcoyotesUnintentional/intentionalfeedingistheleadingcauseofcoyotehabituation(whenacoyotebecomesuncharacteristicallycomfortablearoundhumans).Refrainfromdirectlyfeedingcoyotesandavoidleavinggarbageoutsideforlongperiodsoftime.Outdoorwildlifefeedersarealsoattractantssincetheydrawinsmallrodentsservingasaprimaryfoodsourceforcoyotes.

2. MonitorPetsItisalwaysusefultomonitoryourpetsclosely,bothonyourpropertyandinpublicspaces,toavoidinteractionsbetweencoyotesandpets.Coyotesarelesslikelytoapproachananimalifinthecompanyofaperson.Alwaysleashyourpetsandmonitorthemwhenoutside-eveninyourbackyard.Domesticatedcatsshouldbekeptinside.

3. HazingItisrecommendedthatifyouencounteracoyotedirectly,donotrunaway.Shouting,Waving,andthrowingitemsareformsofhazingmeanttoinstillfearandpreventaggressivebehaviorincoyotes.Duringbreedingandpuppingseasons(March-August)coyotesaremorelikelytoexhibitaggressivebehavior.Itmaybebeneficialtocarryanoise-makertoshakeinthecaseofanencounteriftherehavebeenaseriesofcoyotesightingsinyourneighborhood.However,ifacoyoteisnoticedandisnon-threatening/avoidingyourpresence,donotseekoutanencounterorhazingopportunity.

4. ReportAggressiveCoyotesUnprovokedbarking,hackleraising,snarling,growling,andlungingaresignsofaggressivecoyotebehavior.Ifyounoticeacoyoteexhibitingthesesigns,fileacomplaintwithCHI311.

ForfurtherinformationviewChicago’sCoexistencePlan:https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/depts/cacc/PDFiles/CoyotePlan_ChicagoAPR-10-2020.pdf