West Seattle coyote sighting: Another one caught on camera

Our latest West Seattle coyote sighting comes with a photo. David Roth saw this one “at the end of Victoria Avenue SW” on Monday and sent the photo today. That’s along the Duwamish Head Greenbelt, according to Google Maps.

In our most recent coyote coverage (our five-year archive is here), a federal wildlife-control agent had contacted WSB to urge local residents to take precautions to discourage their proximity to neighborhoods, including not letting pets out by themselves, not leaving pet food out (or anything else – like bird feeders – that coyotes might find tasty), and, if you see one, actively scaring it away, by hollering and throwing things, among other tips. More info is in this state publication we often share to close out coyote-sighting reports, which we publish as a public service to remind more people they’re out there, pretty much everywhere, and if you assume they’re not in your neighborhood because you’ve never seen one, you’re probably wrong.

15 Replies to "West Seattle coyote sighting: Another one caught on camera"

  • Robert July 24, 2013 (11:10 pm)

    So, taking it from the top.

    1) Coyotes were not here first.

    2) Before you post, ask yourself if what you have to say would add to the suffering of someone who has already lost a pet. If it would, please don’t post scolding, after-the-fact admonitions.

  • Gene July 25, 2013 (6:30 am)

    Robert– if” scolding” as you put it can save one loving pet owner from losing their beloved pet– then sorry but I say — scold away!

  • hammerhead July 25, 2013 (7:51 am)

    Keep your pets inside. That is just common sense not scolding.

  • Cowpie July 25, 2013 (7:58 am)

    @Robert – are you saying there were NO coyotes in the Pacific North West before the introduction of man? I’d say you’re mistaken. They were here first….we are in their turf.

  • DTK July 25, 2013 (8:21 am)

    Indoor cats have an average life span of 12 – 20 years when compared to 1 – 5 years for a cat kept outdoors.

  • mehud7 July 25, 2013 (8:22 am)

    Beautiful animal!

  • Mike July 25, 2013 (10:19 am)

    Outdoor Cats kill native Birds in massive numbers every year.

  • nemobeansmom July 25, 2013 (1:22 pm)

    And as the person who commented on the story of that elderly man and his daughters dog getting mauled by a domestic dog just a couple of days ago…”more people are hurt by domestic than wild dogs”
    CORRECT

  • Robert July 25, 2013 (2:26 pm)

    I know that people generally mean well, but again and again I’ve seen people post incredibly mean-spirited and/or insensitive comments about people who have *already lost* their pets. That doesn’t prevent anything, it just adds to people’s suffering.
    Regarding the whole issue of pets, cats in particular, it isn’t always easy to keep cats indoors. Some cats are determined to get out. They are animals and want to go outside. If my cat darts out an open door, despite my efforts to prevent it, so be it. If it got eaten, I’d feel awful, but I wouldn’t complain, I wouldn’t ask anyone to cull the coyotes, nor would I be angry with the coyote. Cats eat birds, coyotes eat cats. And I do let my cats out during the day when I can keep an eye on them. I’m aware of the stats, but as others have pointed out, I’m sure people also would have longer lifespans if they never went outdoors. We don’t have research on that because confining a person indoors would be inhumane. I’ve had several indoor/outdoor cats live 12-15 years.

    “Cowpie,” did I say that? Someone tried to twist my earlier comments into the claim that there was no “wildlife” before European settlement. Absurd. Again, here is the information from the Wildlife site:

    In pioneer days, coyotes (Canis latrans) were restricted primarily to the sagebrush lands, brushy mountains, and open prairies of the American West. Wolves occupied the forests. Coyotes have since taken advantage of human activities (including the reduction of gray wolf populations) to expand their range throughout North and Central America.

    That is quite clear and needs no explaining to anyone who is not willfully insisting otherwise. But I’ll explain anyway. Of course there were coyotes. But they weren’t *here* in significant numbers until the settlers came. Once and for all, they were not here “first.” We aren’t in “their turf.” This isn’t opinion. Check the facts. This claim also matches my experience growing up here, and that of several others. No one was talking about coyotes in West Seattle twenty years ago.

  • Fire Ball July 25, 2013 (3:45 pm)

    Robert>>>”No one was talking about coyotes in West Seattle twenty years ago” 20years ago were there blogs like this so people could talk about coyotes?

    anyways I agree with you about making remarks to people who have lost a pet to a coyote…don’t rub salt in an already very bad wound! :>(

  • Robert July 25, 2013 (4:41 pm)

    Fireball,

    Thanks for acknowledging my other point. I deeply dislike internet snark and really hate it when I fall into that mode, so hope you’ll hear my remarks in the gentle tone in which I would speak them. Your error is an easy one, because one way proponents of technology create the myth of dramatic progress is to claim responsibility for things that existed long before they invented gadgets that absorbed them. Twenty years ago we had human speech, telephones, newspapers, and even satellites. In any event, I was only saying that my experience matches that of many other commenters and seems to support the claim on the Wildlife site. I’m curious as to what you make of the explanation I cited above. I think this horse is dead.
    Pardon me, I’m going to check on the cats before I leave the house.

  • Boy July 25, 2013 (5:17 pm)

    Hey cowpie if it is there turf then where is man natural turf? Also coyotes are not native to PS region. And my guess we are at the top of the food chain not the coyote. If the coyote comes on my turf then I will protect it. Same as if a unwanted human comes on my turf. And if you feel that we are on there turf then tear down your house an work to restore there Quote natural habitat.

  • ltfd July 25, 2013 (6:43 pm)

    Dogs are not native to the PS region either; they are what I worry about, not coyotes.

    Worrying about dog bites/attacks makes sense; worrying about coyotes doesn’t make much sense.
    .
    Dog bites – how big is the problem? According to the CDC:
    – About 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs each year.
    – Almost one in five of those who are bitten, a total of 885,000, require medical attention for dog bite-related injuries.
    – In 2006, more than 31,000 people underwent reconstructive surgery as a result of being bitten by dogs.
    .
    Coyote attacks? According to one study (Coyote Attacks on Humans in the United States and Canada, White & Gehrt, 2009), there were 142 coyote “attacks” resulting in 159 victims bitten over a period of 46 years, 1960-2006. That’s about 3 per year. More good information can be found here- http://www.rockies.ca/coyotes/ecology.php
    .
    You should be much more worried about being struck by lightning than being attacked by a coyote. In the U.S. there are annually an estimated 360 injuries and 40 lightning fatalities (noaa.gov). Compare that to 3 coyote attacks per year and then to 4.5 million dog bites causing 30,000+ people to need surgery.
    .
    Life is short. Worry about dogs, then lightning, then coyotes.

  • Cowpie July 26, 2013 (7:48 am)

    @Boy….”evolutionary theory suggests the coyote evolved in North America during the Pleistocene epoch 1.81 million years ago alongside the dire wolf”
    I’d say that’s before we were here…wouldn’t you? I have done my part. I made a decision over 30 years ago to have no children. We are a parasitic cancer killing all life on this planet. I could never dream of bringing more life onto this planet for my selfish wants.

  • Anne July 30, 2013 (6:09 pm)

    There is a dead orange and white long haired cat located on the edge of the lawn at the corner of S. Trenton and 3rd Ave. S. I think the address is 8809 S. Trenton.

    It is decapitated and someone keeps running over the cat’s body so that only the tail is apparent from the street as it stands straight up.

    I talked to someone in animal control and was told the lawn is private property so they cannot do anything.

    I was also told that a coyote probably removed the head.

    If anyone knows of such a cat, please go and get it. I am disgusted and dismayed with the inhumanity of whoever it is who keeps grinding the cat’s body into the lawn.

    Coyotes are predictable; humans are not.

Sorry, comment time is over.