The Urban Coyote

This past week, Animal Services Center Officer Mansoor responded to a call of a possible sick or injured coyote which was lying down in a local backyard. The coyote reportedly would only lift its head a little and then lie back down, and the officer observed the coyote behaving similarly.  However, when the coyote saw the opening of a sliding door, it bolted away showing no signs of injury.  Apparently, this coyote was just enjoying the good weather and sunning itself in the California Promise. 

While coyotes are native to Southern California and a natural part of our environment, they have been very successful in adapting to urban and suburban environments and now feel more comfortable coming into yards and taking advantage of our left-over pet food and fruit from the trees.  Coyotes do have a natural fear of humans – and a technique called “hazing” can help reinforce this natural fear and deter them from neighborhoods and yards. Hazing is a method that makes use of deterrents to move an animal out of an area or discourage an undesirable behavior or activity.  

Using a variety of different hazing tools is critical, as coyotes can lose their fear of individual items, sounds and actions. 

Some methods of hazing that Mission Viejo Animal Services utilize include the following:

Yelling and waving your arms while approaching the coyote—appearing big
Noisemakers, such as a loud voice, whistles, air horns, bells, soda cans filled with pennies or dead batteries, pots and pan banged together
Projectiles, including sticks, small rocks, cans, tennis balls, rubber balls
Others methods include hoses, water guns or spray bottles with vinegar water, pepper spray, bear repellant, walking sticks

The simplest method of hazing a coyote involves being loud and large. Stand tall, wave your arms and yell at the coyote, approaching if necessary, until it runs away. If a coyote has not been hazed before, it may not immediately run away when you yell at it. If this happens, you may need to walk towards the coyote and increase the intensity of your hazing. The coyote may run away, but then stop after a distance and look back at you. It is important to continue to haze the coyote until it completely leaves the area. You may need to use different tactics, such as noisemakers, stomping your feet, or spraying the coyote with a hose to get it to leave. After you have successfully hazed a coyote, it may return again. In that case, continue to haze the coyote as was done previously.  It often only takes one or two times to haze a coyote away permanently. 

For more information and additional tips on hazing, visit the Animal Services Center website or call 949-470-3045.