Coyote Thought to Have Killed Dog Is Nearly Captured

The coyote believed to have killed a dog in Laguna Woods last month was cornered this morning by Laguna Beach Animal Services officers in a garden area but escaped its would-be captors.

"During a routine check of the traps today, a radio call came in that the coyote was sighted,"  said Laguna Beach Animal Services Officer Joy Falk. "I didn't see it initially until it came trotting toward the vehicle."

"We had it locked down and were ready to deploy a dart," Falk said.  "If we had a clear shot without endangering anyone, we would have taken a shot."

The problem prompting this punitive action by animal control lies not so much in the natural predatory nature of coyotes, who have grown increasingly more bold in recent months, as with their human neighbors.

The fate of the wild canines is evidenced by notices posted in clubhouses, laundry rooms and other public places in Laguna Woods Village. "Humane Trapping in Progress," the notice reads.

It isn't until the third page of the notice that we find out why, spelled out in 36-point bold type: “Please, Do Not Feed Wildlife!”

Residents, apparently, have been feeding the coyotes. Laguna Beach Animal Services, which partners with Laguna Woods when the neighboring community has trouble with domestic or wild animals, acknowledges that the feeding of wildlife may be well-intentioned, but warns that wild animals will lose their natural fear and caution, making them a threat to both humans and domestic pets.

Their increasing aggressiveness came to the forefront on May 28 when a coyote killed an elderly woman's small dog in Laguna Woods. The woman struggled with the coyote to free her pet, but the dog died shortly thereafter.

For this, the coyotes will be paying with its life.

"If the animal were caught in one of the two traps that have been set out," Falk said, 'it would be shot in the trap with the same extra heavy load of tranquilizer that it was hunted with."

"Sometimes that kills the animal. If not, we take it to a quieter area and euthanize it."

California law prohibits coyotes from being relocated.

“All too often authorities are left with no option but to destroy such animals!” wrote Jim Beres, civilian supervisor of Laguna Beach Animal Services in a letter to Laguna Woods residents warning them of the process now in motion.

Beres wrote that the department is trying to draw coyotes into the area at a specific time. “Food sources,” the letter said, “other than (those) provided by Animal Services, will only distract the animal.” 

Residents have been warned to stay away from the traps and keep pets from them.

Laguna Beach and Laguna Woods both have statutes against feeding wildlife that carry heavy fines, but people still feed the coyotes.

Carolyn Kiel of Laguna Woods lives in the neighborhood across from the library where she says she has seen the newly famous coyote as many as three times during the day.

A former volunteer with the California Department of Fish and Game, and owner of two cats, Kiel had occasion to call Falk in previous years. Now, Kiel calls Falk often with sightings.

Having worked coyote detail for some time, Kiel says that the coyote has timed her cat’s walk in the morning and can be seen waiting. Her younger cat gets out but her 18-year-old cat doesn’t leave the house much. She often knows when the coyote is around in the morning before the walk because the crows announce it.

 “I heard a lot of crows one morning and saw a pile of black feathers behind my house. I think it was two crows that had been killed by a coyote and the others were cawing.”

 Even though she has learned not to feed coyotes, she suspects that some residents do. Kiel leaves an airhorn on her patio to scare off any coyotes that show up.

“If I didn’t know any better,” she said, “I would feed the coyotes to get a closer look.”

 Kiel said that one encounter from a fair distance with the coyote, which she says is taller than normal, got her thinking about why it would attack a pet and skirmish with the owner.

 “It looks perplexed when I’ve seen it,” she said. “It was like it didn’t know for sure if I was a threat or was going to feed it.”

Martin Mersereau of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said coyotes have no interest in humans.
 
"Coyotes want no part of us,"  Mersereau said. "Coyotes are looking for food. Contain the food, contain the problem." However, he said people who feed wildlife are often not dissuaded by signs.

Mersereau wants anyone leaving food accessible to wild animals to know they often sign the animal's death warrant.
 
"There is no such thing as wildlife feeding," he said. "There is only wildlife baiting."

Mersereau is open to the possibility that the coyote that attacked the dog could be re-educated into a healthy fear of humans if the humans act appropriately. That means making sounds with airhorns or using other tactics to scare them off.
 
They are afraid of humans, he said, and roaming pack animals. "They will move on to where food is easiest to find."

 Although coyotes thrive all across the region, Laguna Woods provides an especially attractive live diet. Aliso Creek, green belts, golf courses, and ample space around units all contribute to a zone with abundant fauna and hiding places. Rabbits, skunks, ducks and crows abound in the community. Also, since the median resident age is 78 years, many have pets of retirement age that generally run small.

 A wild and carnivorous animal, Kiel guesses, may not discern between treats laid out through generosity or a meal delivered on the end of a leash.

Questions about the process can be directed to Animal Services at (949) 497-0701 or your local office of the California Department of Fish and Game.