WEST SEATTLE COYOTES: Three near WS Nursery

| Coyotes | West Seattle news

Natalie just sent this report of a coyote encounter about a block west of West Seattle Nursery:

I just had an encounter tonight on Brandon at 45th with a group of 3 coyotes. Was walking my small dog around 10 pm when then snuck up very close behind us, probably 15-20 feet before noticing them. When I turned on them and stomped/yelled to scare them off they wouldn’t back off very much before approaching again. After this happened twice I finally picked up my dog and kept yelling, and they finally ran off toward California.

Just wanted to give the neighborhood a heads-up, as this is the most aggressive I’ve seen them act around here.

We publish coyote reports for awareness, not alarm; additional advice on avoiding conflicts can be read here.

keep-pets-indoors February 6, 2025 (4:56 am)

Three coyotes moving together eastbound on Graham St and 17th Ave SW at 04:10.

Richard February 14, 2025 (8:37 pm)

Just heard a coyote howl twice at the corner of Oregon and 40th.

Andy P February 6, 2025 (5:04 am)

Coyotes, especially in a group, have become unafraid of people. They could be a danger to unsupervised small children.

Jeffrey February 6, 2025 (5:44 am)

I saw a single coyote trotting down Findlay near 45th a couple of months ago. It startled me while walking my small dog.Thanks for posting this and any other encounters.

Rocky Bullwinkle February 6, 2025 (5:48 am)

That’s scary. Does anyone know if or when animal control gets involved?

Anne February 6, 2025 (7:29 am)

To do what? The coyotes didn’t attack. Natalie did the right thing -yelled -picked up her dog. The Coyotes ran away. Be aware of your surroundings-especially after dark -a flashlight can’t hurt -ignore if possible -stand your ground -make noise.

Resident February 6, 2025 (6:14 am)

If residents witness a coyote attack on supervised or contained pets or domestic livestock, wildlife violation, or an injured or dangerous animal, we encourage them to report it to WDFW Police officers by calling 360–902–2936, emailing WILDCOMM@dfw.wa.gov, or by reporting online at: wdfw.wa.gov/about/enforcement/report

ltm mgm February 6, 2025 (6:51 am)

The key words for everyone on RESIDENT’s comment are: “supervised or contained pets“. So if you let your cat or dog go outside on their own, well… 😔
- Firefighter February 6, 2025 (9:34 am)
  
  Well, yeah, if Coyote knocks at your front door and asks to eat your “contained” pet, just say no. And if Coyote then says, “Oh, I’ll just eat your pet outside when you’re not looking”, then call the Animal ICE Patrol who will then come put Coyote in a cage and deport him back to CoyoteLand. Or just kill him. But Coyote was here first you know.

Chris Hoffman February 6, 2025 (8:12 am)

I saw two this morning about 5:30 in Westcrest Park by the playground area. They took a casual look at my dog and I and skittered off silently towards the dog park. It was a pretty neat experience.

Resident February 6, 2025 (8:40 am)

LTM MGM is right! I actually spoke with someone at the number listed. Animal control is not involved. Wildlife Dept will charge about $500 to catch and kill the said animal causing issues. They don’t relocate. So they offered suggestions to deter the preditory animals. Such as, keeping pets on leash, not letting them out alone – day or night – (the coyotes CAN jump 6′ fences FYI) . I just saw one this morning at 7:40. You can also buy at farm stores urine of cougars/bear etc. to spray around – basically it’s the animals that would prey on coyotes to deter them from coming around. But with rain, it would wash away.

Mike February 6, 2025 (11:09 am)

Please, we need coyotes for rat and rabbit control. Cats and dogs should not be allowed to run free outside of secure areas. Do not call WDFW and have coyotes destroyed. We do not have this crazy rabbit problem when we had coyotes in my area.

Sarah February 6, 2025 (3:00 pm)

Yes thank you, we need coyotes to keep things balanced here. Anybody keeping pets must have coyotes in mind as well as all the other factors that impact that choice – we keep our cats indoor only both because of the coyotes and because of the cats’ impact on bird populations, for example. Figuring this stuff out needs to be considered part of the responsibility of having pets. Coyotes are important parts of the suburban environment, they control vermin and help maintain territories that other wild animals can understand and avoid. We must all work together.

resident February 6, 2025 (1:21 pm)

@Mike – agreed. However, should the coyotes become more bold and not skittish of humans as they should be and as what I posted states: witness a coyote attack on supervised or contained pets or domestic livestock, wildlife violation, or an injured or dangerous animal, we encourage them to report it

Keep Pets Supervised February 6, 2025 (3:18 pm)

Our cat was killed Tuesday Feb 4 by those 3 coyotes sometime around 7:40 AM. He was about 20 feet from our house in the alley. I had walked our property with him at 6:30 with a flashlight as I always look for raccoon hazards but obviously those coyotes move fast. By the time I saw the coyote it was too late. They did not scare easily and actually came back to our alley to retrieve our cat who they had left behind I guess when I ran out screaming at them. If I had known about these many incidents I would have kept him in except under supervision at least until the bunnies are back and would highly recommend anyone do the same. I know it can be hard, but not as hard as losing your beloved pet.

Merica February 7, 2025 (10:31 pm)

My neighbor spotted a coyote on 30th Avenue SW near Elmgrove on the morning of February 6th. It was actually in my yard. My outdoor cat is now an indoor cat.