“It’s like having a hawk or an owl in your yard.”īut since coyotes likely are looking for food when seen in urban areas, “small pets are on the menu,” McCaughan said. “There is no hibernation season, so they eat and grow year-round.”Ĭoyotes have an upside in that they help control the population of rodents and snakes, McCaughan said. “They are about 60 pounds, but I have seen ones as large as 120 pounds,” he said. McCaughan said coyotes are like wolves in that they live in packs with a pecking order. The type of coyote (Canis latrans) seen in La Jolla is found across the San Diego region, he said. However, “when densities are high and closed off by streets or homes, they can be found moving through the urban matrix.” Most urban sightings are near canyons, Tremor said. “Finally, they also are attracted to our trash as they forage within our refuse.” “Coyotes are excellent urban adapters … they are also attracted to the abundance of other urban adapters, like the California ground squirrel,” said Scott Tremor, a San Diego Natural History Museum mammalogist. To a lot of people, coyotes in urban areas aren’t new. “But after a few months, they aren’t puppies anymore and can be bitten.” If bitten, call 911, he said. “What happens in a lot of areas is people feed the puppies because they think the puppies are too skinny or malnourished,” he said. “We are used to at night, but now they will leave their territory for a few hours in the morning and go more into neighborhoods.”Ĭoyotes often are attracted to houses where pet food or scraps are left out, McCaughan said. Some said they’ve found coyote feces in their yards. “First time in 25 years we have had coyotes living and hunting this close to Nautilus,” one person said. “We are used to at night, but now they will leave their territory for a few hours in the morning and go more into neighborhoods,” Gray said.Ĭommenters on social media reported a coyote in front of Bird Rock Elementary and a pack of them seen “multiple times in the past few weeks” near Fire Station 13 on Nautilus Street. The rise in sightings has been “very recent,” he said. “We had a neighbor walking their dog and walked in front of them,” Gray said. He said he’s also seen coyotes near the La Jolla Bike Path and the adjacent hillside. He said he has seen a coyote in his backyard twice, despite 6-foot fences, and his wife saw two while out on a walk. “We lost a cat to a coyote attack a few weeks ago,” David Gray, who has lived in La Jolla’s Muirlands neighborhood since 1995, told the La Jolla Light. Wildlife experts say the biggest risk from coyotes in urban areas is to small pets. If you are able to, please become a supporter of the La Jolla Light today by clicking here. At a time when local news is more important then ever, support from our readers is essential.
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