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Coyotes in The Valley

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Contributed by: Alison Glazier on 10/31/2008

At about 4 am on Friday, August 29th, 2008, our housecat made the last
cry of his life. He'd met a foe he couldn't beat. I raced out of my house and down the street to find him gasping for breath on the corner of Tupper and Valjean in North Hills. Out of the corner of my eye I saw what looked like a small dog running around the corner headed north on Valjean Avenue. Our cat died of heart failure at the animal hospital a few hours later. The vet determined that the fatal wound was caused by a canine bite to the neck - either dog or coyote. Coyote?

Across the United States, in places as different as New Hampshire, South Florida, and here in California, encounters between people and coyotes are increasing. There's probably many reasons for this - the spread of urban areas, fewer hunters, and, here in Southern California, drought and fires in the mountains. Earlier this year, Lake Arrowhead experienced three attacks on children. In the third incident, a two-year-old girl was dragged by her head from the front yard. Her mother rescued her, but, imagine if that happened to a child you knew.

After the attack on my cat, I did an informal survey among my neighbors and discovered that 5 pets had been either injured or killed in coyote attacks over the past year. One resident who's lived in the area for 30 years says that she never saw coyotes in the neighborhood until two years ago. Another neighbor admits that she's afraid to walk her dogs or even go outside after dark following an encounter with a pack of coyotes a few years back. One person relayed a story of walking his dog one night and having to fight off a coyote who saw the small dog as an evening meal.

According to the Los Angeles Department of Animal Services, food left out for animals encourages coyotes to wander our neighborhoods. Sadly, this includes bird seed which attracts rodents, but, also includes pet food bowls and uncovered trash cans.

In May of last year, I walking along Plummer Street when I saw some coyotes on the grounds of the Veteran's Hospital. "How cute," I thought and took a picture. I don't feel the same way now. In an article I read recently, some Native American tribes see the coyote as a wise and clever figure. They're also fast and will attack your small pet if given the chance. Don't let them. Keep your animals inside - especially at night.

To report a coyote sighting or issue, contact L.A. Animal Services at (888) 452-7381. For further wildlife information on the web, please visit
www.laanimalservices.com/aboutani_wildlife.htm.

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