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July 23, 2008 at 4:14 pm #587576
ellenaterMemberI’ve seen posts on here before about coyotes but non of my questions are answered…
Last night, around dusk, we ran into a coyote in Lincoln Park. He seemed pretty mellow but took a lot of interest in our snack size puggle. He followed us for awhile but eventually left. So do coyotes attack when people are around? Where do these guys live-at the park full time? It was pretty cool and would have been even cooler if said snack size puggle had not been with us.
July 23, 2008 at 5:18 pm #632087
rs261MemberFrom wikipedia regarding their hunting.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coyote
Coyotes shift their hunting techniques in accordance to their prey. When hunting small animals such as mice, they slowly stalk through the grass and use their acute sense of smell to track down the prey. When the prey is located, the coyotes stiffen and pounce on the prey in a cat-like manner. Coyotes will commonly work in teams when hunting large ungulates such as deer. Coyotes may take turns in baiting and pursuing the deer to exhaustion, or they may drive it towards a hidden member of the pack.[5] When attacking large prey, coyotes attack from the rear and the flanks of their prey. Occasionally they also grab the neck and head, pulling the animal down to the ground. Coyotes are persistent hunters, with successful attacks sometimes lasting from 14 minutes to about 21 hours; even unsuccessful ones can vary from 2 minutes to more than 8 hours before the coyotes give up. Depth of snow can affect the likelihood of a successful kill.[21]
The average distance covered in a night’s hunting is 4 km (2½ mi).[5]
Coyote attacks on humans are uncommon and rarely cause serious injuries, due to the relatively small size of the coyote. However, coyote attacks on humans have increased since 1998 in the state of California. Data from USDA Wildlife Services, the California Department of Fish & Game, and other sources show that while 41 attacks occurred during the period of 1988-1997, 48 attacks were verified from 1998 through 2003. The majority of these incidents occurred in Southern California near the suburban-wildland interface.[32]
Due to an absence of harassment by residents, urban coyotes lose their natural fear of humans, which is further worsened by people intentionally feeding coyotes. In such situations, some coyotes begin to act aggressively toward humans, chasing joggers and bicyclists, confronting people walking their dogs, and stalking small children.[32] Like wolves, non rabid coyotes usually target small children, mostly under the age of 10, though some adults have been bitten. Some attacks are serious enough to warrant 200 stitches.[33]
There is currently only one recorded fatal attack on a human. In 1981 in Glendale, California, a coyote attacked a toddler, who despite being rescued by her father, died in surgery due to blood loss and a broken neck.[34][32]
I’m assuming they live in the park somewhere….they generally live in burrows/dens under bushes.
July 23, 2008 at 5:35 pm #632088
JiggersMemberLike I’ve said before that animals don’t want to have nothing to do with humans unless you feed them. All they will do is invistigate you and if you aren’t a threat, they’ll leave you alone. I’m more afraid of a human straggler in the park after dark than a coyote because humans are more unpredictable than animals.
July 23, 2008 at 5:40 pm #632089
rs261MemberYou obviously havent met one of my dogs Jiggers….she is my definition of unpredictable, people I can use my intuition on, some animals you’ll never understand.
July 23, 2008 at 6:11 pm #632090
inactiveMemberHey Ellenator –
check out WSB’s “wildlife” tab and associated links to official, local wildlife info sites. There is copious relevant info to be integrated there.
I’m one of those folks who thinks everyone in WS should read this stuff, whether they own animals or not. Lack of information tends toward higher levels of fear and concern. Knowledge is power, as they say :).
There is plenty of information available online for us to educate ourselves. The State Department of Wildlife, and PAWS Wildlife Center are among the better local resources for accurate, professional, local and timely information.
I will say one thing. The “look” of any wild animal is often just a kind of keenness/alertness absent in most domesticated animals. It does NOT mean attack is emminent by any means. They are just as, if not more, likely looking for any cues to run away from you as to approach. Now, having said that, I wouldn’t try to have my 100 lb dog play off-leash with a coyote either;).
Check out the links and see if some of the information doesn’t put you at ease a bit.
July 23, 2008 at 6:17 pm #632091
beachdrivegirlParticipantCoyotes tpyically will not attack when a human is around; however if they are in a pack then their confidence rises and this has been known to happen on ocasion.
July 23, 2008 at 9:17 pm #632092
WSBKeymasterThe best links are toward the end of this specific report we wrote after one of the periodic citywide forums to provide information about co-existing with coyotes and other wildlife.
https://westseattleblog.com/blog/?p=5623
(Another one was held earlier this month; it conflicted with four community meetings the same night in WS, so we didn’t make it over to Beacon Hill, but the information is somewhat timeless.)
Even more than Lincoln Park, we have heard from nearby residents that Fauntleroy Park (which is less developed than L-Park) is particularly coyote-laden these days.
–TR
July 24, 2008 at 5:05 pm #632093
ellenaterMemberThanks for the info. I will read up for sure…
I was under the impression he wouldn’t attack but he did follow us for awhile. It was actually pretty cool. My dog is NOT smart so I was more concerned she would try to ‘play’ with the coyote. He was awfully cool!!
July 24, 2008 at 5:24 pm #632094
soclwrkrinmotnMemberI actually saw one on Delridge the other day. I was walking to work at around 5:30 am, and I saw the coyote peering out from the brush right next to the SW precinct station. S/he didn’t seem fearful, nor aggressive, just curious. It was rather neat to make eye contact with the coyote. It made my day.
July 24, 2008 at 5:34 pm #632095
mellaw6565MemberMaybe we should consider making the coyotes the new WS mascots? Put them in our neighborhood names? I think they deserve some recognition for surviving the onslaught of our continued development:) They don’t call him “Wiley Coyote” for nothing!
July 24, 2008 at 6:01 pm #632096
KenParticipantThere were a few years ago, at least 6 living in the golf course to Longfellow creek greenbelt since I saw all of them at the same time while the highpoint phase one was finished grading but before any actual construction started. It panicked some passersby and they called the cops saying that they were wolves. I used my binoculars to verify that it was just coyotes. I don’t think they believed me.
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