West Seattle coyotes: Reports from North Admiral and Delridge

| Coyotes | West Seattle news | Wildlife

Two West Seattle coyote reports today. Kim e-mailed the longer one from North Admiral:

After a hiatus, North Admiral has a coyote in the neighborhood again. On Thursday in broad daylight, two neighbors walking west on Walker between 47th & 48th SW [map] saw a coyote walking tandem to them. Then the coyote sprinted ahead, turned and started walking towards them, turned again and ran away to the west. This might also account for the bite marks on our cat this week. Kitty will live, but small pet owners in the area need to be on alert.

Earlier, we got a quick Delridge coyote report via Twitter from Dartanyon:

Just saw a coyote sprint across Delridge from Chief Sealth [at boren] into Longfellow Creek!

Here’s the “coexisting with coyotes” link; here’s our archived coyote reports, reverse chronological order.

mc June 13, 2010 (6:48 pm)

Spotted a coyote last week in the Sylvan Ridge development. Prob the same one near Longfellow Creek.

JH June 13, 2010 (9:12 pm)

Pretty easy to avoid the coyote/cat problems. Keep them indoors!

Michael June 13, 2010 (9:58 pm)

Wait a minute! “Kim” knows there are coyotes and still puts her cat out??
.
I really hope she was making a bad joke because that would be something really, really stupid.

CB June 13, 2010 (10:41 pm)

Time to round up the coyotes and move them to the wilderness. It is ridicules that nothing has been done. How many more pets have to die? More Seattle insanity.

Dennis Cheasebro June 13, 2010 (10:57 pm)

Kim, for the sake of your cat and our wild birds, please, please keep your cat indoors.

Skip Haynes June 13, 2010 (11:37 pm)

Hey CB,
Rounding up coyotes doesn’t work. One – it’s a death sentence because coyotes are territorial and the other packs would kill a stranger. Two – more coyotes will take their place. You’ll end up with twice as many coyotes. We’ve been trying to kill them off for two hundred years and there are more coyotes in the US now than when the Declaration of Independence was signed.

We can’t get rid of them – we have to learn to live with them. If you want to know more try http://www.rosiecoyote.com it’s got some good info re this situation.

all the best
skip haynes

Skip Haynes June 13, 2010 (11:48 pm)

I forgot; you should never let a pet outside unsupervise, they can fall prey to more than coyotes – dogs, cars, people who steal them to sell to medical experimenters to name a few. it is people who own pets responsibility to take care of their animals. Coyotes are only doing what they do. Get rid of the food source and you get rid of the coyote. You should try to learn more about them. They’re facinating animals and very necessary to the ecosystem.

Amazon June 14, 2010 (11:18 am)

Does the WSB policy on not blaming the victim apply here re: the comments blaming the cat owner?

I am getting so sick of the constant self-righteous lecturing about keeping cats inside… we each take calculated risks each day with ourselves, our children, our pets, our property. It is wasted typing to lecture pet owners in this way. As if anyone out there doesn’t know the risks/benefits of letting pets out! Give it a rest!

westseattlite June 14, 2010 (12:37 pm)

So what is the logical outcome of living with these “fascinating animals” – coyotes? They live in parks and greenspaces, have no predators, and a steady food supply of rodents, raccoons, cats and small dogs.

With good food supply and no predation, their numbers will increase. Where previously they were nocturnal hunters, seldom seen, they will start to lose their fear of people. People will begin to see them in daylight, in their yards, in the streets, crossing Delridge. They will become more brazen hunters, attacking your small dog right in front of you.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010769279_coyote12m.html

They will begin hunting in packs – what do they have to fear?
Coyotes kill woman on hike…
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2010153483_apcncanadacoyoteattack.html

Do you really think they won’t attack small children? Should we all be afraid to go outside?

twirl-a-whirl June 14, 2010 (1:52 pm)

It was only 3 years ago since we saw our first coyote. Thought it was just a mangy-looking dog, as it walked right up to me one evening while I was sitting in my yard talking on the phone. Pretty soon I was seeing them in my backyard, hearing packs of them howling outside the bedroom window, then standing in my driveway as I was trying to park. I just had it with them, so needless to say, I prepared to greet them (as I didn’t want them thinking they could grab’n’go with my little pup), and got a pump action bb rifle. I showcased that with the big dog (Bebe girl, my coyote killa’) to accompany the little pup, and the coyotes now DO respect my territory. We’ve been known to fly out of the house running at them at 3am (awoken by the sounds of their howling) to give them a scare, and boy has it ever worked! No coyotes and no problemo with burglars, either.

datamuse June 14, 2010 (4:46 pm)

I seriously doubt that an urban coyote will attack an adult or even a child when there are so many other ready food sources available. If you really want to keep coyotes wary of people, secure your garbage, don’t litter, and don’t put pet food outside or leave pets or livestock out overnight–humans feeding coyotes, deliberately or otherwise, is the thing that makes them lose their fear of people. Same as with other scavenger/predators like raccoons and bears.
.
And, you know, know what to do if you meet one, and teach your kids too. Yeah, they can be dangerous, but I’ve had far more unpleasant encounters with ostensibly domesticated dogs in West Seattle than with coyotes. I like twirl-a-whirl’s suggestions, though I don’t have a BB gun. :)

Kris June 14, 2010 (4:58 pm)

I so appreciate that West Seattle Blog continues to refer people to the “coexisting with coyotes links”. If many of the commenters simply read the WA State Dept. of Fish and Wildlife info they might not get so many of their facts incorrect and have a better understanding of how we all need to coexist.

Paul June 14, 2010 (9:53 pm)

Saw a coyote around 2:30am on June 14, at the corner of 39th and Dakota st. Just fyi.

dsa June 15, 2010 (1:25 am)

Something has changed. I’ve lived in West Seattle 65 years, all my life. It’s only been the last few years that coyotes have made an appearance. And the funny thing is that there is less woodland.

Nancy June 15, 2010 (9:46 am)

Saw a coyotee 2 years ago eating cat food out of a dish on a front porch near the Fautleroy YMCA/church, it walked out of the woods, crossed the street and went straight to the bowl. Also saw an eagle swoop down on a small dog (unleashed) at Lincoln Park 3 years ago. Are eagles next on the complaint list? People are helping these animals eat, or temp them to eat. Thats nature folks.

westseattlite June 15, 2010 (12:37 pm)

So would West Seattle folks like to live with a family of mountain lions in Fauntleroy Park? How about a group of bears at Lincoln Park? Grizzlys in Schmidt? I seriously doubt they would attack your children as long as they can get your cats. We want to coexist with nature, right? And nature is red, in tooth and claw. And coyotes are so … cute…. they look like dogs, so they must be ok?

Our society doesn’t allow domestic dogs to exhibit this type of behavior, running in packs and killing neighborhood cats and small dogs. Why is ok for coyotes to do so?

With no natural predators, the population of urban coyotes is going to continue to grow.

Gigi June 17, 2010 (8:05 am)

Coyote reported in a backyard near 40th and Henderson on June 16th around 3pm. Also over Memorial Day weekend at 40th & Director. 40th & Barton electrical pole has ‘lost'(small) pet signs plastered all over it.

Sorry, comment time is over.