20 Replies to "West Seattle coyotes: 'Definitely not normal behavior...'"

• Mike February 2, 2011 (10:36 am)

  sounds like normal behavior to me, you’re probably too close to their den with pups. If you’re a coyote and you see a 90lb mastiff mix near your pups, it’s a threat.

• Ken February 2, 2011 (10:37 am)

  The coyotes were “at home” in that area before your great-grandparents were born. And like those to the south who disparately want to be out of Highpoint and part of something else, if you want to pretend you are part of Cottage Grove then go for it. Realestate agents are inventive and pragmatic when it comes to creative marketing.

  A coyote is not going to see a mastiff as food but it probably does see it (and you) as competition to be warned off of his territory.

• JenF February 2, 2011 (10:40 am)

  Thank you WSB for posting the Humane Society’s “Solving Problems with Coyotes”. The aversion conditioning information is especially helpful, and I wish people would start implementing these techniques to change the coyotes inreasingly bold behavior.

• beachdrivegirl February 2, 2011 (10:46 am)

  That is normal behavior for coyotes. They are protecting their territory/home which has gotten smaller & smaller over the years. I grew up in the country and would never continue on the same path after seeing a coyote. If they are in a pack or if they are protecting their young they will charge at you if you continue to invade their space. Rather than expecting someone to come in and relocate these animals which will endanger their lives and take money from our government which they don’t have read up on them, learn about them, and respect them.

• Jake February 2, 2011 (11:11 am)

  Sounds like the same animal I met a few weeks ago: see the second part of https://westseattleblog.com/2010/12/west-seattle-coyote-sighting-in-gatewood-on-the-run

• Heather February 2, 2011 (11:42 am)

  It sounds normal. I’m in Gatewood. Almost every evening we hear strange and incredibly LOUD barking and howling coming from various places around our home. I believe it’s mating season. We make a lot of noise when go outside at night and watch our animals closely. It’s all we can do really.

• lucky chick February 2, 2011 (12:39 pm)

  Coyotes do not have young now, and while I wouldn’t categorize this as “not normal” behavior, it’s not really weird. The coyote is habituated at least somewhat to humans, it sounds like. The neighbor who leaves food out is at fault!!! If they will not listen to you (assuming you’ve asked them to cover their garbage), then CALL THE POLICE. If you want a wildlife ecologist to back you up, leave an email address for me to contact you.

• Rebecca February 2, 2011 (1:16 pm)

  The answer is yes, someone will need to get bitten. The only time the city has ever acted is after someone has been attacked.

  Seattle is full of urban neohippies who don’t understand wildlife, but think they do because they watch Life on their 42″ plasmas. Feeding them is stupid, and encourages coyotes to stop fearing humans and hunt in our yards. Neighbors who leave food out and encourage this need a smack upside the head.

• lenguamor February 2, 2011 (4:29 pm)

  Right on, Rebecca. ;-)
  .
  As for relocating them: why not? The argument that “they were here first” is disingenuous and lacks precedent; if a bear were to appear in one of our neighborhoods, you can bet on a sure thing: that it would be either captured and relocated or killed. Same goes for a wolf or any other predatory and potentially dangerous animal.
  .
  Get rid of them. This is where WE live now, and we deserve to live without the threat of wildlife savaging our children or our pets…or even us.

• Michael February 2, 2011 (4:32 pm)

  Looking to the city to “act” is an uninformed idea. As usual, we cause our own problems, and if you read the materials WSB linked to you can maybe figure out how to resolve them.

  Paul, that didn’t actually work then, it won’t now.

• rahelc February 2, 2011 (5:04 pm)

  We’ve lived in the Longfellow Creek area for twenty years. Countless coyote sightings. They’ve pulled that flanking move on us before. Eventually they just make their way. Coyotes, racoons, posums, red fox, beaver, river otter, blue heron. bald eagle.. Some of the creatures that make living in the Northwest living in the Northwest..

• Mike February 2, 2011 (8:45 pm)

  “Get rid of them. This is where WE live now, and we deserve to live without the threat of wildlife savaging our children or our pets…or even us.”
  .
  I’d rather get rid of people like the one that made that comment. Annoying and drive me crazy. I find the coyotes don’t annoy me. So… please, please leave.

• redblack February 2, 2011 (8:54 pm)

  hey, mike. easy, big fella. :)
  .
  better yet: hi, lenguamor! i propose we outfit you with nothing but a pointy stick and a loincloth and see how you fare – and compete for food – against urban coyotes.
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  let’s put this on a level playing field.

• Wendy Hughes-Jelen February 2, 2011 (10:43 pm)

  @Ken – 30th and BRANDON is not High Point. 30th and JUNEAU is. Brandon would be LOW POINT if there was a name for that area. Since they don’t have the views of High Point from the low hollows of the golf course and armpit of Camp Long, I certainly don’t blame them for not identifying with High Point. They really are closer to Cottage Grove – or should I say at least they can see Cottage Grove from their house and not High Point.

  Since being followed almost to our front door (in High Point) by a coyote in December we saw one one more time in a drizzle but it was skirtung the greenbelt going uphill on High Point Drive. At least this time we were traveling in opposite directions and we were on the other side of the street. We do look over our shoulder since they kind of come up and follow you from behind. You do have to yell and run toward it to get it to run off.

• lenguamor February 3, 2011 (11:07 am)

  Redblack: you *really* don’t want to start down a road that ends with me in a loincloth. ;-)

• CR February 3, 2011 (6:14 pm)

  We have to co-exist…educate yourself and ask what you/your neighbors need to do differently before pointing fingers at the coyotes. Coyotes are part of the enviroment here that makes it so special. If you don’t like it, do all of us including the coyotes a favor and move!

• lenguamor February 3, 2011 (11:10 pm)

  Oh, put the love beads in your next garage sale. NONE of you are hippies anymore, let it go.
  .
  People – THAT’S what makes a neighborhood. You know, your neighbors, who keep their houses and yards looking nice, and don’t play loud music late into the night, and generally make OUR neighborhood a better place to live.
  .
  As opposed to coyotes – filthy wild animals who gut and decapitate your pets and threaten your children.
  .
  Get your priorities right. And let’s start thinking about how and when we can implement a plan to get rid of the varmints.

• CR February 4, 2011 (8:52 am)

  Let’s get rid of the squirrels, the birds, the fish (not to mention neighbor’s wandering cats) too…they must “get in the way” from time to time from someone’s perspective. Heck, while we are at it maybe we can get rid of the humans that aggravate some of us. Hmmm…that sounds like a great place to live.

  And, btw…don’t assume we are all hippies who never gave up our love beads…some of us are WAY to young to have experienced any of that first hand.

• ltfd February 4, 2011 (6:22 pm)

  lenguamor, you really are not well informed on the coyote issue- or you are purposefully trolling.
  .
  Any wildlife biologist will tell you that culling the coyote population will only result in more coyotes moving in to the vacated territory. Coyotes have been expanding their range in North America right alongside human expansion and population growth. There are wild, rural, suburban, and urban coyotes- many documented coyote ranges include downtown metropolitan areas of U.S. cities.
  .
  As for getting rid of troublesome “varmits”, domesticated cat predation of wild bird and rodent populations is the real issue that should be addressed in suburban areas. Luckily, coyotes assist in controlling feral & predatory pet cats, to the benefit of declining populations of native animals.
  .
  The described coyote behavior sounds exactly like the behavior that I encounter from loose neighborhood dogs that think their territory includes large portions of the subdivision, rather than their own yards. Everyone in Seattle/West Seattle is much more likely to be attacked/injured by a domestic dog than by a coyote.

• barbara February 24, 2011 (12:46 am)

  Behind my house is a large stand of trees, my neighbor has chickens, and nearby is a vacant lot near a cul de sac. We hear the coyotes on a regular basis, barking and yelping and howling, it’s spooky in a thrilling sort of way, but it only annoys as much as a loud neighbor might, who was having a rowdy party on a weeknight. I don’t allow my two cats to go outside, except for supervised on the upstairs deck, and the chickens are locked up every night. Any of you who are doing the old “oh won’t someone please think of the children!” bit need a firm smack in the face by the food chain. Those “filthy” wild animals are just trying to survive, like you and I, and are going about it the same as any other wild animal. They’re just a bit bigger and we notice it more. I saw one the other night while walking home. I just stopped in my tracks, and let the coyote evaluate the situation, realize that I wasn’t a threat, and continue on his way. Have some respect and he will too.

  You probably think your organic free range chicken cutlets come straight out of a factory, already sealed up nice and neat in plastic wrap too I’ll bet.

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