West Seattle coyote: “On his way to belly up to his buffet line”?

| Coyotes | West Seattle news | Wildlife

First coyote report in a while – Robert writes:

I took this shot of a brave coyote in my driveway, abutting the south side of Schmitz Park, this afternoon about 12:30 PM. He sure seemed confident while making his way to my trash can, as if he was on his way to belly up to his buffet line. Owners of small dogs and cats might want to take notice.

Our previously received coyote reports (some including photos/video) are all archived here, newest to oldest. Not sure what to do to coexist peacefully with them (as advocated by authorities)? Here’s a story we did last year.

blahgrrmudgeon June 25, 2009 (6:24 pm)

Looks a bit anorexic…maybe it should eat!

CD June 25, 2009 (7:17 pm)

He’s awfully cute

Jiggers June 25, 2009 (7:37 pm)

i’ve seen a whiter one near Lincon Park.

jb June 26, 2009 (8:33 am)

saw one early Wednesday morning roaming the hood just a few blocks south of Schmitz Park

Bill June 26, 2009 (8:35 am)

I was jogging in Shmitz Park yesterday early morning and thought my eyes were deceiving me when I saw it cross my path about 20-30 feet ahead of me.

Citizen Donkey June 26, 2009 (9:52 am)

Awfully cute until your cat or dog are killed by them.

datamuse June 26, 2009 (11:38 am)

It’s actually pretty unusual for them to eat cats, though they do on occasion.

Jenny_DB June 26, 2009 (12:32 pm)

Can’t see a coyote of that size eating a dog, even a little one. My understanding is they are opportunistic hunters primarily eating small mammals like squirrels and rabbits, and they also eat insects, reptiles, fruit & carrion.

From the authorities: “Although the coyote has been observed killing sheep, poultry and other livestock, it does not subsist on domestic animals. Food habit studies reveal that its principle diet is composed of mice, rabbits, ground squirrels, other small rodents, insects, even reptiles, and fruits and berries of wild plants.”

I imagine there are plenty of mice & squirrels in West seattle, so I hope people can feel comfortable coexisting with the wild coyotes:) Beautiful animals..

B-squared June 26, 2009 (1:35 pm)

Thanks for the “voice of reason”, Jenny. Coyotes get to be the scapegoat way too often.

Brian June 26, 2009 (2:45 pm)

I still have one living in the greenbelt behind my house. The cat stays in side but I’ve noticed that the dogs and the coyote play more than anything. He stays on his side of the fence and mine stay on ours. they just run the fence line and position for power.

I’d be worried about cats… not the dogs too much.

Dave June 26, 2009 (4:24 pm)

Well on my ravine the cute coyotes have eaten several cats including mine

WSGuy June 27, 2009 (12:24 am)

I’d love for them to eat some of the squirrels behind my place! Do they like raccoons?

Mike June 27, 2009 (7:17 am)

For those that mentioned Coyotes eating pets, keep your pets inside or watch them closely when they are outside. If a Coyote ate YOUR cat, you would not know about it, as it would not leave enough of it for you to recognize it. More than likely the cat ran off, got hit by a vehicle or was in a fight with a raccoon (far more likely than being eaten by a coyote).

I fear my neighbors at the end of the block more than I do a coyote.

katedanaher June 28, 2009 (5:54 pm)

Unfortunately, lethal control can be a knee-jerk response to the appearance of coyotes in our communities. Nonselective killing methods like snaring often remove individual coyotes who have no history of conflict. Dr. Stanley Gehrt, one of the nation’s foremost urban coyote researchers, states: “Indiscriminate removal may exacerbate a conflict, if coyotes that have a healthy fear of people are replaced by new coyotes that have little or no fear of people. Therefore, removal should be discouraged … and management should focus on public education.”

Most conflicts result from people providing coyotes with food, intentionally or not. Fundamental to resolving negative encounters with wild animals is reducing attractants. Keep companion animals indoors at night and feed them indoors as well; walk dogs on leashes, keep refuse containers inaccessible to animals, and keep other food sources like fallen fruit and birdseed off the ground; these are easy ways to reduce conflicts. Unless people take responsibility to remove attractants to discourage unwanted wildlife, negative encounters with coyotes and other predators will occur and animals will be destroyed. Love ‘em or hate ‘em coyotes are here to stay. For more information visit http://www.ProjectCoyote.org

Also, watch the film trailer for “American Coyote— Still Wild at Heart” at http://www.projectcoyote.org/index.html