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AUSTIN Which came first: the coyote or the subdivision?
For centuries, coyotes have been venturing onto Texas farms and ranches in search of food. But from time to time the search takes them into otherwise quiet urban or suburban neighborhoods where they may cause damage, injure or kill pets, and alarm residents.
“As cities expand and homes, shopping centers and office buildings go up in areas where coyotes have previously lived or hunted, the two environments will sometimes conflict,” said Jeff Ripley, director of Texas Cooperative Extension in Travis County.
Coyotes in residential areas can damage property and may pose a threat to small animals and people, he said.
“While they rarely attack adult humans, coyotes can be extremely aggressive toward dogs, cats and other domestic animals,” Ripley said. “Unfortunately, there have also been some instances in other states where coyotes have attacked and killed small children”.
Every year, the Extension office in Travis County receives dozens of calls about coyotes and other errant wildlife from residents in urban and suburban areas of Austin, Ripley said.
“We’ve recently had a sharp increase in the usual number of calls to Extension about coyotes, especially in the northwest part of the city around Highland Hills,” he said. “We’re not sure what’s causing the coyotes to become more active in this area, but feel sure the activity will continue.”
Most of the coyote calls to Extension offices have a familiar ring.
“They want someone to come out and remove them,” Ripley noted. “But Extension doesn’t have a wildlife damage management person on staff to do that. What we do have is a wildlife specialist who can provide educational information and technical assistance on what they can do if they come in contact with wildlife, including coyotes.”
Some Austin residents have also called the city’s animal control agency to resolve their coyote problem.
“City animal control agencies deal almost exclusively with domestic animals,” he said. “Wildlife management requires different training and a knowledge of how wild animals behave and what their habits are.”
There are also city ordinances to be followed and other restrictions that apply to wildlife management, he added.
“People who handle urban and suburban wildlife management activities may have to trap and relocate animals,” he said. “To relocate wildlife, you need permission from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.”
Currently, city, county and state agencies are working together, examining options to address the lack of wildlife damage management in the county. One of the options being discussed is funding a wildlife management specialist position in the Extension office.
Many Texas counties have wildlife damage management personnel specifically trained to manage wildlife in urban areas, including trapping and relocating wild animals, Ripley said.
“Right now there’s a hole in the net in Travis County and we’re trying to close it. We’re finding out what personnel and financial resources city, county and state agencies can bring together and come up with a solution.”
Ripley is asking that people who have seen coyote activity continue to call Extension to report it.
“We need to get an idea of the number and location of these occurrences so we can have a complete picture of the extent of the problem and the best way to address it,” he said. “In the meantime, Extension can still provide callers with information and technical assistance to help.”
Extension has a variety of information about wildlife, such as what animals eat, and their behavior and habits, said Randy Farrar, Extension wildlife biologist for Travis County.
“Rural, urban and suburban residents can call us for guidance on how they can manage a wildlife situation, as well as tips on how to avoid a human-wildlife conflict,” he said.
People can take specific steps to reduce the likelihood of a coyote coming onto their property, he said.
“Coyotes tend to shy away from humans, especially in rural areas where they’re trapped, hunted and killed.” he said. “But when they come in contact with humans in urban and suburban surroundings where they’re less likely to be harmed, coyotes become bolder.”
Coyotes are territorial and attack roaming dogs and even dogs on leashes, and they may prey on cats and other small domestic animals, he added.
“One of the best ways to help avoid contact with a coyote is to eliminate food and water sources,” he said.
To reduce the opportunity for conflict, Farrar suggested: feeding pets inside; removing pet water dishes, keeping bird feeders out of reach; securing garbage containers; not allowing pets to run free; storing pet feed indoors; and never leaving small children unattended in areas with coyote activity.
Wild animals are a further danger to humans in that they may carry diseases or parasites, he said.
“For example, while almost all of the instances of rabies reported in the Austin area are from bats, coyotes and other wildlife, like skunks and foxes, are at higher risk to carry the disease,” he said.
To address these issues, Extension, the city’s animal control service, and the Texas Wildlife Services program are working together to come up with a plan to fill the current gap in wildlife damage management.
“Our agency is aware of the situation and we are very interested in helping resolve it,” said Gary McEwen, district supervisor for Texas Wildlife Services. “There are a lot of people at the city, county and state level who want to find a way to meet the growing wildlife damage management needs of Travis County.”
Any joint city, county and state solution will likely require the approval of the county commissioners, the city council and others before going forward, added Ripley.
“But we feel confident we can find a way to expand our service to the people of Travis County and provide even better support and assistance in the area of wildlife damage management,” he said.
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