Recent advances in rabies control using oral bait to immunize wild animals without having to capture them have made controlling the spread of rabies in coyotes much more effective. Their close kinship to dogs places coyotes at greater risk where there are populations of unvaccinated domestic dogs. Public health concernsĬoyotes, like all warm-blooded animals, may contract rabies. Under no circumstances does an attack by an individual coyote warrant killing at large, in an effort to reduce the population or simply ring up the bill on coyotes as an act of retribution. Most health departments will mandate testing for rabies, which requires that the offending coyote be killed. These events, rare as they are, are serious and warrant serious response.Ī coyote who has bitten a person will have to be specifically targeted and removed from the population. One involved a child in Southern California in the 1980s and the other a 19-year old woman in Nova Scotia in 2009. There have only been two recorded incidences in the United States and Canada of humans being killed by coyotes. Less often, people are bitten by cornered coyotes, or even more rarely, rabid coyotes. In many other instances, people were bitten while trying to rescue their free-roaming pet from a coyote attack. In many human attack incidents, it turns out that the offending coyote was being fed by people. Often, coyote attacks are preventable by modifying human behavior and educating people about ways to prevent habituation. More people are killed by errant golf balls and flying champagne corks each year than are bitten by coyotes. Hazing entails using a variety of scare techniques to teach a coyote to regard people as threatening and stay away from them.ĭefense Whistles on Coyote attacks on peopleĬoyote attacks on people are very rare. When coyotes become habituated, hazing can reinstill the natural fear of humans. This generally occurs when a coyote has been fed (in the form of handouts, pet food left outside, or unsecured garbage).Ĭoyotes who come to depend on these sources of food may begin to approach humans looking for a handout and may begin to exhibit what’s perceived as “too tame” or aggressive behavior. HabituationĪ coyote who does not run away when encountering humans has, most likely, become accustomed or habituated to people. If the coyote is scared away by your presence, they are exhibiting natural behavior and this should not be cause for concern. Observing a coyote in this manner (even during the daytime) does not mean that the coyote is sick or aggressive. You may catch a glimpse of a coyote, however, as they move from one part of their territory to another in search of prey (usually small mammals such as mice or voles). These animals are generally nocturnal and seldom seen. An encounter with a coyote in the urban and suburban landscape is a rare event, even where coyotes are found in large numbers.
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