Mission Statement & Welcome!

This blog serves as a place to raise awareness, educate and promote the conservation of coyotes in our human dominated landscape. Sections are written from the point of view of a coyote – just for fun. Sorry to anthropomorphise the coyote. Enjoy & Engage!

General Coyote Information

We are found in rural, urban and suburban areas. We are classified as Illinois’ largest carnivore but remember our diet changes as the seasons change and we eat a great amount of berries and fruit when in season (see our ecological role, below). Generally, we live in a pack which is like a family but often do most things alone. I am about the size of a medium-sized dog which is interesting because we share the same taxonomical family and ancestry. Dogs really went the easy route letting people take care of them. Not us the coyotes, we work very hard to avoid human contact and provide for ourselves. You can also identify us from a characteristic black tip of the tail. We generally are pretty slender (around 20 pounds for a female) but can get as large as 50 pounds for an adult male. Some people say we look scrawny but our slender bodies are a perfect fit for the dens we build.

Click on the link below to watch this fantastic news clip (Well done Ron Magers - ABC News Anchor). You will see some of my friends and an interview with Stan Gehrt – who spends his life chasing us. Stan has not yet gotten a radio collar around me yet but he is doing a great job. There so much to learn about us.

Special Segment: Urban Coyotes

If you want more general information about me check out the Ohio Department of Natural Resources site (link below):

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/species_a_to_z/SpeciesGuideIndex/coyote/tabid/6598/Default.aspx

Why You Want Me Here? Ecological Role

So why share your Chi Town home with us? I’m so glad you asked. Well for starters our diet is centered on keeping pest species down which directly benefits you. My favorite meals are rodents! Yes, yummy mice, voles and rats make up nearly 42% of Cook County dwelling coyote diets. Often deer which you regard as “cute” are responsible for stripping your bushes and causing terrible car accidents. Their populations need to be kept in check and we help do that. Almost a quarter of our diet is deer, which is almost equal to fruit. Other snacks include eastern cottontail rabbits, birds, raccoons and more. Even in urban areas we avoid eating human garbage. Less than 2% of our diet consists of human associated food (Urban Coyote Project, n.d.). Please avoid leaving pet food out, since I could find it quite tempting and then might get very upset if I come across your pet. Be smart so I don’t have to be tempted by something I would not encounter in the wild.
 



My favority snacks



Acting Like An Animal: Coyote Behavior

       Humans sometimes like to label us as resident, transient or nuisance based on our behavior (as done by Stan (Ghert et al., 2009) which I couldn’t wait to get my paws on). Resident coyotes make one area home. Their home range may depend on the availability of resources and land use (roads, parks, golf courses, building etc.) in that area. Resident coyotes have defined boundaries and keep to them. They stay for long periods of time. I’m a resident coyote and I have been living in the same home range for over five years. I might even be your neighbor! Don’t worry, I am very shy and come out mainly at night to avoid you. Coyotes are not traditionally nocturnal, but we want to avoid people so much we have altered our ‘work schedule’ to avoid conflict. I have family that lives out in the rural area and although they can still come out during they day, they have a higher death rate than us city dwellers. Transient coyotes are those that just keep moving through the area. They might be looking for a mate or to challenge an alpha male for his territory. Life isn’t quite as easy for them, they have to keep moving and or establish a home range. Finally, nuisance coyotes are labeled as such since humans have called and complained to officials about us more than once. In a study conducted in Cook County only 4% of the coyotes collared were considered nuisance (Gerht et al., 2009). Three of these four coyotes had mange, a parasitic skin disease, which causes an awful debilitating itch and severe hair loss. One of my home range neighbors lived for years without a complaint. Then she contracted mange and started coming out and when captured was in such poor condition she had to be euthanized. Two of the seven were also killed by cars. It is a hard life when you can’t find a vet to help you.

Radio Collared Coyote

Coyote with mange

Should I stay or should I go now? Concerns & Fear

I have heard it muttered that we are “dog killers.” Please realize most of us coyotes desperately want to avoid you and that means leaving your dogs alone. Really, there are plenty of us around to kill many more dogs but only a few coyotes are giving all of us a bad reputation.  Remember, both your dog and I are territorial. When dogs are barking at us they are often saying, “this is our land” or “stay away.” Some coyotes feel they have to establish dominance and kill the competition. We have no interest in eating your dogs.

Here’s How to Act When You See Me.

• Do not to leave small dogs, cats or children alone in the yard. Although no children have been attacked by a coyote in the Chicagoland area it is not a responsible practice.
• Walk dogs on leashes as directed by most cities ordinances.
• Do not leave pet food or other food scraps out which can serve as attractants for coyotes (Ohio Department of Natural Resources, n.d.).
• If you are walking a small dog and you see me immediately pick up the dog and practice hazing. Hazing is a technique of making eye contact, shouting, clapping hands, stopping feet and if necessary even throwing rocks near but not hitting me! (Fumo-Fox, 2013). We generally respond to sounds and will flee.
• Although we can carry diseases, currently none pose a serious risk to humans (Urban Coyote, n.d.).
• If I seem unwell or am behaving in an unnatural way contact local officials. Do not attempt to approach me.

What's Up Doc? Can We Coexist?

Imagine you saw me late last night.  What was your reaction? Were you happy, nervous, scared?  Let me know....

Ask A Coyote - Questions & Answers

Please post questions, comments, thoughts and opinions about how you feel about sharing your neighborhood with us. I hope you have learned a bit and see if that changes your view point. I'm listening and would love to answer.

What's New: Current Coyote News

Here are links to current news articles. Enjoy! I will also add more by either editing this post or creating a new section.

This coyote made a lot of news for running into a convenience store on a very hot day in downtown Chicago.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2010/12/08/131876027/60-wild-coyotes-patrol-chicago-and-occasionally-stop-at-convenience-stores

This entertains other possibilities although I am not keen to be sharing my neighborhood with any other larger predators.

The Atlantic, “You’ve Heard of Urban Coyotes. Urban Bears Could Be Next” By Emily Badger Oct. 12, 2012

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/neighborhoods/2012/10/youve-heard-urban-coyotes-urban-bears-could-be-next/3561/

Science Daily  “Urban Coyotes Could Be Setting the Stage for Larger Carnivores Wolves, Bears and Mountain Lions To Move Into Cities” Oct. 5, 2012 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121005100909.htm

Chicago Tribune “Coyotes joining urban worries: How to cope with critters becoming a topic of concern” By Joan Cary January 09, 2013 http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-01-09/news/ct-met-coyote-seminar-0110-20130110_1_coyote-issue-three-coyotes-chris-anchor

Take Action: Resources for Education & Involvement

Urban Coyote Project

This site is a perhaps the best site to site to visit of any. Chicago is home to world’s largest urban coyote research project and here you can read about what is encompassed by the study.

http://urbancoyoteresearch.com/

Ohio State University & field expert Stan Gehrt (This includes his contact info at the end)

http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/urbcoyot.htm

Conservation Organizations in the Local Area - Get Involved!!
Chicago Wilderness 
http://www.chicagowilderness.org/

Student Conservation Association
http://www.thesca.org/

Cook County Forest Preserve (Check out your county's site). 
http://fpdcc.com/

Radio Tracking - Can you hear me now?

To Learn more about how radio telemetry works check out the Michigan Deparment of Natural Resources:

http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10370_12143-70426--,00.html

Here is a link to a company that makes radio telemetry devices to learn more:

http://www.lotek.com/radio.htm 

References to good papers I have read about us: 

Atwood, T. C., Weeks, H. P., & Gehring, T. M. (2004). Spatial ecology of coyotes along a suburban-to-rural gradient. Journal of Wildlife Management. 68:1000-1009.

Barnett, M., Lord, C., Strauss, E., Rosca, C., Langford, H., Chavez, D., & Deni, L. (2006). Using the Urban Enviornment to Engage Youths in Urban Ecology. The Journal of Enviornmental Education. Vol. 36, No. 2.

City of Wheaton Coyote Policy. (n.d.). Retrieved from: https://www.wheaton.il.us/coyotereport/

Fumo-Fox, P. (2013, February 11). Riverside considers coyote policy after 2 attacks. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved from: www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/suburbs/la_grange_western_springs/ct-tl-riverside-coyote-20130211,0,3111912.story

Gehrt, S. D., (2004). Ecology and management of striped skunks, raccons, and coyotes in urban landscapes.   In N. Fascione, A. Delach & M. Smith, Predators and people: from conflict to conservation (pp. 81-104). Washington, D.C., Island Press.

Gehrt, S. D., Anchor, C., & White, L. A. (2009). Home range and landscape use of coyotes in a metropolitan landscape: conflict or coexistence? Journal of Mammalogy, 90(5):1045-1057.

Gese, E. M., Morey, P. S., & Gehrt, S. D. (2012). Influence of the urban matrix on space use of coyotes in the Chicago metropolitan area. Journal of Ethology, 30:413-425.

Grinder, M. I., & Krausman, P. R., (2013). Home range, habitat use, and nocturnal activity of coyotes in an urban environment. Journal of Wildlife Management, 65:

Growth in Urban Population Outpaces Rest of Nation (2012, March 26). Census Bureau Reports

http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/2010_census/cb12-50.html

Illinois Department of Natural Resources (n.d.). Coyotes Join Wildlife Migration to Cities: Chicago area is home to growing number of coyotes. Retrieved from: http://dnr.state.il.us/orc/wildlife/virtual_news/releases/070104_coyotes.htm

Illinois Department of Natural Resources. (2006). Retrieved from: http://dnr.state.il.us/orc/wildlife/furbearers/coyote.htm

McClennen, N., Wigglesworth, R., & Anderson S. H. (2001). The effect of suburban and agricultural development on the activity patterns of coyotes (Canis latrans). American Midland Naturalist. 146: 27–36.

Morey, P. S., Gese, E. M., & Gehrt, S. (2007). Spatial and temporal variation in the diet of coyotes in the Chicago Metropolitan Area. American Midland Naturalist, 158:147-161.

Ohio Department of Natural Resources (n.d.). Retrieved from: http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/species_a_to_z/SpeciesGuideIndex/coyote/tabid/6598/Default.aspx

Timm, R. M., Baker, R. O., Bennett, J. R., & Coohahan, C. C. (2004) Coyote Attacks: An Increasing Suburban Problem, North American Wildlife & Natural Resources Confer­ence, Vol. 69, 67-88.

Urban Coyote Research Project. The Cook County, Illinois, Coyote Research Project – Urban Coyote Ecology and Management, (n.d.). The Ohio State University. Retrieved from: http://www.urbancoyoteresearch.com/The_Results_Of_The_Study.htm

White, L.A., & Gehrt, S. D. (2009). Coyote Attacks on Humans in the United States and Canada, Human Dimensions of Wildlife, 14: 419-432.

Local Ordinances

Village of Riverside, Illinois located just Southwest of the Chicago has a coyote policy and very informative flyer.

http://www.riverside.il.us/vertical/Sites/%7BFF0B0056-4ACF-4890-985A-29B8374E9BEE%7D/uploads/Coyote_Policy_2-2013.pdf

Wheaton is another town that is further west and has adopted a coyote policy as well.

City Council Adopts Coyote Policy

At its Nov. 15, 2010 meeting, the Wheaton City Council passed a resolution adopting a policy for how the City will address the presence of coyotes within the community. The goal of the policy is to provide a strategic plan and actions that will increase residents’ knowledge and understanding of how coyotes behave and how such behavior can be managed with human safety as a priority.

The policy is available for residents to view on the City's website. 

Posted Date: 11/16/2010 3:24:41 PM

http://www.wheaton.il.us/news/announcements/detail.aspx?id=6065

About the Author

No, I am not actually a coyote – just a silly teacher trying to educate as many as I can on what little I know and inspire others to follow their passions. This is my first attempt at a blog but I have hopes for others in the future, after all, Conservation Matters! Question consumption – in fact, question everything. Rethink, reduce, reuse and recycle. Keep it real.