West Seattle wildlife: Urban coyote, caught on camera

| Coyotes | West Seattle news | Wildlife

We get a fair amount of coyote reports (THANK YOU!) but not many come with photos. Thanks to Amanda Teicher for snapping the one she spotted as she and her dog were headed out for a walk this morning at 17th and Brandon (map). Quite the tail on this one. And here’s the long view:

We share coyote reports not to generate hysteria but just to remind people that they live among us and that it’s important to take steps on your (and your pets’) behalf and theirs to keep them at a distance (as explained here). Our archived coyote coverage, newest to oldest, is here.

As-If February 12, 2011 (12:28 pm)

I have not kept up on the coyote saga, but I was wondering if there was any concern about rabies? I know that any warm blooded animal can be a carrier and not have symptoms. I’m sure Animal Control knows about these guys, right? One or two around probably wont hurt, but I’m sure they’re not in to birth control. And then what?

smash the state February 12, 2011 (12:49 pm)

OMG!!!1! HE’S OFF LEASH, TOO!!!11!

kb February 12, 2011 (12:56 pm)

STS- epic!! Still laughing

Phil J Jones February 12, 2011 (1:01 pm)

I had this coyote living on my place outside of Elma. We co-existed quite nicely for several years. I named her Sarah after an old girlfriend who, like Sarah the coyote, lived on my place but paid no rent.
Coyotes are here to stay. Keep your pets, especially cats, indoors or otherwise controlled – things you should be doinhg anyway. Attacks on humans are rare, far less that human attacks on humans.
Sarah and I would eye each other when our paths crossed, and I was always polite and said, “Good morning, Sarah,” or something like that. She’d give me this look, then we would go our separate ways…In short, be smart, but don’t panic or overreact. The Sarahs of this world are just trying to make a living like anyone else…

Mookie February 12, 2011 (1:03 pm)

Wow, a post gets Dogwinned in 2 comments – a new WSB record!

wsguy February 12, 2011 (1:05 pm)

Phil-Great report made me smile thanks

John Douglas February 12, 2011 (1:31 pm)

We live very close to this area, and the coyote has been seen often. There are a few cats missing in this area too, though our cat seems to fare well (maybe because it grew up around dogs?).

We’ve thought about and tried keeping our cat in, but he gets depressed, so we let him out and just accept what comes. That’s the more natural view.

My worry is that a semi-wild animal could come in contact with the kids just up the street at the school, and if it’s pinned into a corner, it could be viewed as dangerous – and it’s actions may be.

I think it’s amazing that we have this right in a bustling city, as is the long history of the families of red fox that have been seen around here since I was a kid. Glad someone got a pic, it’s very exciting to see :)

kate February 12, 2011 (2:01 pm)

Coyotes keep the rat population down, too. I like rats, but I had one jump out of my toilet and I didn’t really like that.

doggril February 12, 2011 (2:03 pm)

John Douglas – I used to work for the Humane Society. It was heartbreaking to see the various awful fates that outdoor cats regularly meet. It’s not the “more natural view” to refuse to take care of a dependent domestic animal that relies on you to keep it safe. Cats aren’t wild. They don’t “have” to be outside. If you’re that cavalier about your cat’s life, perhaps you shouldn’t have a cat.

368 February 12, 2011 (2:47 pm)

See them at Jefferson Golf Course frequently. Wish I could introduce a few roosters to one.

sam-c February 12, 2011 (3:13 pm)

yeah, when I saw the photo, I was hoping that all the off leash cats in the area were ok..

Paul February 12, 2011 (3:15 pm)

It’s just a matter of time..They are running out of their habitat and it’s not the coyote’s fault. I would think that they will eventually need to find more sources of food, be it us or our pets.

S February 12, 2011 (3:31 pm)

I love his big fluffy tail :) He’s beautiful!! I love having wild life around me in the city. The Oppossums, Raccoons, Coyotes, Seals and the Whales. Didn’t get these special treats in Boise. Make me happy that I made the move here 20 years ago. We can cohabitate with the wild, just need to respect their “Wild” status and keep a safe distance. Enjoy nature… the habitats are losing out to people, it will be gone before we know it and that’s very sad.

Tom February 12, 2011 (4:08 pm)

There is no rabies in Washington state except in bats. There have been two human cases of rabies in Washington in the last twenty years, and both were from bats. Just saying… http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehsphl/factsheet/rabiesfct.htm

alisa February 12, 2011 (4:56 pm)

@john douglas and all… I was going to write that folks should keep their cats in, at least at night until well into daylight. Our son’s cat was killed at dawn by a coyote in Fremont. He witnessed his beloved cat dead in the jaws of the coyote ( he was at least lucky enough to retrieve Marty for burial). Not wanting to come down on you, but I agree with doggirl. Your cat depends on you for everything, quite different wild vs. domestic, those two worlds are far from the natural order. Your cat would suffer a hideous fate far worse than depression if attacked by a coyote. Please re-think this one.

KBear February 12, 2011 (6:05 pm)

Admiralite, I’m not sure what your point is. Conscientious parents and dog owners keep up with vaccinations. Neither the vet nor Animal Control are to blame for your situation.

Far Gone One February 12, 2011 (6:57 pm)

Delighted by “Smash the State’s” hilarious post #2 above, I thought I’d post this tongue in cheek 10-quatrain poem-warning for the coyotes. I wrote this a few years back when I had a den on our 1/4 acre bluff top property way above Lincoln Park where coyotes have been seen regularly right in my front yard and strolling back and forth by the telephone pole / street light at the top of my driveway.

I was gonna post it real low on the telephone pole, smeared with some fragrance they’d like, just to see if I could get a surveillance camera video of a coyote reading this warning poem: (Too lazy, I never got around to it.)

From One Coyote to Another (Condensed Version)

My fanged and furry friends,
Sorry to break this news:
We’re on the verge of trouble
And now must all lie low.

Our neighbors are up in arms,
Wondering who’s killing cats,
Amazed to find coyotes
Are seen and not just heard.

Steve says, “They’ve gotten way too brazen!”
He was grumbling about “the big one”
Running circles round my street lamp
In the late-night winter cold.

Maybe you fellas could figure
A way to be more subtle,
And not just prance around,
Swinging half a cat.

The lady who feeds the ferals—
She used to have fifteen—
Is lately struck with grief:
She’s down to three or four.

(I know they wouldn’t buy it
If I tried claiming it’s not coyotes,
But just Audubon vigilantes,
Hunting late at night.)

I gotta say I love it
When you’re yapping at the moon
Or serenading the sirens,
Just yards from my back door.

I cannot say I mind much
That cats have now gone missing,
And can’t keep on a-killing
All the songbirds in my yard.

But I gotta tell you straight:
I can’t protect you long:
Cuz the day the head count’s off
At the daycare up the street–

Or if some morning they’re out walking
And find just half a baby—
We’re both in serious trouble,
Way beyond your wildest dreams.

(Couldn’t figure out how to do the html for the 10 quatrains. Oh well…)

Petunia February 12, 2011 (7:41 pm)

Admiralite..your rant is completely off base. Not taking responsibility (please vaccinate your dog!!) plus slandering the vet (by name) and animal control for doing their job when you didn’t do yours as a pet owner..both unacceptable.

WSB February 12, 2011 (7:54 pm)

The comment to which the previous two refer has been deleted – thanks to those who flagged it (though we don’t have a “report this comment” button, please e-mail editor@westseattleblog.com if you see something you think violates site rules) – TR

doggydodo February 12, 2011 (8:19 pm)

I believe cats have the right to be outdoors if they desire to be. A cat’s life as indoor only, trapped creature, is cruel — it is not natural for “cat” to be inside only — it has instincts to hunt, to prowl, to explore, to have a territory — it is people like you that want the natural world to be safe always that are not living in the real natural world. Cats, domestic or not, do not really belong in a house at all — they should have a place to roam and hunt. How boring and unhealthy a life for a cat to stay inside all the time. They get fat and dull, and it is like a prisoner. That is not responsible or humane. Getting eaten by a coyote is natural. Awful, yes, but so is it awful for a person to die in a car crash, but we drive, or a person to have a deadly skiing accident, but we ski, or get hit by a bus, or fall off a ladder, but we still do all those things… it is called LIVING. Let the cat have a life, for God’s sake. Trapping it inside like a “thing” just for our human enjoyment — just so we can pet it and hold it and see it as a “thing” of beauty in our home, that is just plain mean and ignorant. In my humble opinion. Besides, the coyote always gets hit by the anvil or falls off the cliff, no?

alisa February 12, 2011 (10:38 pm)

@doggydodo-Domesticated animals have been just that, domesticated, for thousands of years. While I agree that it would be a correct world where all animals live wild, we cannot pretend that life for these particular beings are in any way close to a natural state. I abhor the way some humans treat animals, but once in our care we have the obligation and responsibility to see to their basic needs, which includes companionship. I, and endless others, rescue the animals that get lost and/or abandoned by those that give up on, or decide it is somehow “their destiny to be lost”. Purposely left to fend for them selves (without the care, food, water, or shelter they have depended on from their human) is indefensible. It is naive and cruel to abandon them to wild elements. Do they all live a good and ideal life, no, but a lot of them do, even indoor-only. We work with what is in the present, think flexibly, and work to change human attitudes while taking responsibility for these beings who deserve our care and respect.

wsguy February 12, 2011 (11:06 pm)

doggydodo-Thank you i agree with you we have had cats in ws for many years some want to be indoors and some want to be outdoors. Part of being a responsaible partner to your animals is to provide food shelter and understanding their needs. so theirs my couple of pennies.

Tony February 13, 2011 (1:11 pm)

Why do dog owners always insist that cats should be kept indoors at all times, when they wouldn’t ever consider that for their dogs? It’s weird – coyotes can eat a hundred cats and nobody seems to mind (except to shake their heads at the owners: I told you to keep your cat inside!). Ah but if a coyote takes a dog, such as the one that took a dog right in front of the owner as she was getting out of her car in Magnolia last year, the coyote is hunted down and destroyed. I think people tolerate and love the ‘beautiful’ coyotes because they remind them of their dogs. Hey, cougars are ‘beautiful’ too.

James February 14, 2011 (12:02 pm)

Tony – I agree… cats should be allowed to go outside too. On a leash.

Cheri February 16, 2011 (8:55 am)

I can agree with a bit of every comment, but disagree with just as much. My wonderful CoCoa Kitty has lived on our property and visiting the neighbors driveway for fourteen years. He has been safe and well until the coyotes started roaming our streets here in the Madison Jr. High area.He never came in for the night as he usually did and has been missing ever since. Going to neighbors to keep watch I have many that have seen the coyotes running right down our street and now we hear them howling at night.I dearly love animals wild and tame but I BELIEVE the coyotes have become very fat and healthy from our missing cats and small dogs and now will be having more and more babies. Soon something will happen to make the authorites need to have a responce to the need to rid our neighborhoods of these WILD animals so we can resume our normal domestic lifes with cats in or out without worry.

Seth February 17, 2011 (10:52 am)

Getting in my car yesterday morning a coyote jumped over a rock wall and start running right at me. About 30 ft away I yelled at him but he started running faster. I jumped in my car and slammed the door almost on his head. He then paced back and forth on the outside of the door until I honked the horn and he ran off. Either he was aggressively begging for food or rabid and thought I was food. I called the fish and wildlife department to report the incident, but that was very aggressive behavior for a coyote. I think maybe some people who find them ‘cute’ are feeding them, which only makes them less afraid of humans. This puts small children and house pets more at risk. Coyotes are neither pets nor friends, they are predators.

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