PANAMA CITY BEACH — Out West, they’re so common that the locals call them “dogs,” but in these parts they’re still known as coyotes.“They’re in the canine family,” explained Stan Kirkland, a spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. “They have filled a niche left by the absence of the red wolf. But it’s one thing to recognize coyotes have moved throughout eastern North America. It’s another to realize they’re in people’s back yards and how to deal with them.”
The scientific name of the coyote, Canis latrans, literally means “barking dog.” Originally indigenous to the western states, coyotes have spread throughout the U.S., with reported populations thriving from Maine to southern Florida. They feed mostly on small animals — rats, birds, rabbits, lizards and so forth — but also are known to eat roadkill or from garbage bins, fallen fruit and berries, and to prey upon farm animals and domesticated pets.
“There’s evidence of them having eaten deer, usually in conjunction with hunting season — deer that were shot and not recovered by the hunter, or from hunters leaving behind remains of field-dressed deer,” Kirkland said. “They’re also pretty efficient predators on fawns in the summer months, when they’re first born.”
Coyotes are found in several habitat types and are common in rural, suburban and even some urban landscapes. According to a 2007 FWC report, coyotes have been documented in all 67 Florida counties.
“The important thing is recognizing that they are out there,” said Terry Doonan, Regional Species Conservation Biologist for the FWC. “Coyotes are pretty smart animals. They learn where to look for food. If people are leaving pet food outside, for instance, it increases the chance of coyotes being around.”
Encounters between people and coyotes in Florida are occurring more often, as outlined in a recent FWC brochure. Coyotes that have become used to people might lose some fear, so sightings during the day might increase. Coyotes also become more difficult to scare away if they lose their fear of people.
Kirkland spotted a coyote some years ago on the Gulf Coast State College campus in Panama City, early one morning near the baseball field. Others have reported seeing coyotes in daylight off 23rd Street in Panama City, near the intersection of Baldwin Road and State 77, in the Delwood Drive area of Panama City Beach, crossing Thomas Drive at the Signal Hill Golf Course, and in Lynn Haven.
Coyotes are active day or night, but usually most active at sunset and sunrise. And as their numbers increase in urban and suburban neighborhoods, their appetites have claimed numerous pets. Kirkland said a study of coyotes fixed with radio transmitters in Arizona showed that about 50 percent of all coyote interactions with house cats ended in the death of the cat.
“As they set up shop in an area and their numbers expand, there’s no question that they will prey on housecats,” Kirkland said. “There’s nothing you can do. If you value your cat, don’t let it outdoors.”
In the past year, cats have been found decapitated or otherwise mutilated in the Bay Point area off Panama City Beach, as well as the Carolina Avenue area in Lynn Haven. Police said a witness to a fatal attack on a pet cat in Lynn Haven identified the suspect as a coyote, and in January, analysts with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) used DNA tests to link the Bay Point cat deaths to a coyote.
“We’ve got a bad coyote problem,” Lynn Haven Police Chief David Messer said at the time. “It’s hard to do anything about them because there’s no predator for them. You can trap them, but you’ve got to use live bait, and nobody wants to do that.”
Messer also said the best thing a pet owner could do to protect his pets is “bring them in at night.”
“People often let their cats run at night, and a cat is not too much different from other small animals to a coyote,” Doonan said.
In the western United States, coyotes are the main predator of domestic sheep, causing significant losses. They also can prey upon goats, calves, hogs, poultry — and watermelons. They are not a threat to human safety, officials said, and are normally timid toward people.
Pet owners who allow their small dogs and cats only into a fenced yard are less likely to lose them to predators. But ranchers have found that woven or welded wire fences should be at least 4 feet high with barbed wire above for a total minimum height of 5 feet in order to exclude coyotes.
A well-maintained fence might assist in keeping coyotes out of yards, according to FWC materials. If pets are kept in a fenced yard, be sure the fence is high enough to prevent coyotes from jumping over it. Also, check the bottom of the fence regularly to make sure there are no holes that would allow coyotes to get underneath. Consider adding an electrified fence if you think additional protection is needed.
“There’s no getting rid of them. They’re here to stay,” Kirkland said. “Texas has tried for something like 200 years to get rid of them.”
Seeing a coyote in your area should not be a cause for concern because coyotes are common and will continue to exist near humans, officials said. However, if a coyote has lost its fear of humans or continues to be a problem, lethal control measures might be necessary. Such methods should be directed at specific coyotes or toward coyotes in a specific area.
There is no closed season on coyotes in Florida. Legal methods of take are by gun, bow or snare. Steel traps can be used only by special FWC permit, and use of poisons to kill coyotes is illegal.
“We’re not trying to ask people to change everything they do to account for wildlife,” Doonan said. “It’s important for people to understand how wildlife behaves so they can avoid encounters with animals they don’t want to deal with.”
You can report a coyote encounter or attack to the FWC by calling the regional office in Panama City at 265-3676, or by calling Wildlife Alert at 888-404-3922. The USDA Wildlife Services also can provide assistance with nuisance wildlife trapping; call 866-487-3297.
Keep your pets safe
Coyotes can and do prey on domestic cats and small dogs. Don’t allow pets to roam freely. Most coyote attacks on pets occur either at night, at dusk or dawn. If walking your dog in wooded areas or in heavily foliaged areas where coyotes could hide, keep your dog close, on a short leash. Keep cats indoors.
Coyotes also are attracted by garbage. Remove attractants (such as pet food that is served in dishes outdoors) and secure garbage cans and compost in animal-proof containers. Clean up fallen fruit from trees, and seed from around bird feeders.
Don’t try to pet a coyote. Teach children not to approach any unfamiliar animal. But don’t let coyotes intimidate you; you can frighten them away by making loud noises and acting aggressively, such as waving your arms in the air, throwing sticks or spraying it with a hose. Don’t attempt to injure it, however, because injured animals are more likely to attack.
You also might want to carry something that will make noise to scare the animal, such as a small air horn, a big water pistol, a solid walking stick, golf club or paintball gun. Make a “coyote shaker” by putting a few washers, pebbles or pennies into an empty soft drink can.
Be aware of unusual coyote behavior: approaching people, stalking pets, chasing joggers or bikers, or attacking leashed pets. This could indicate a diseased animal.
Close off crawl spaces under porches and sheds. Check fences for gaps or places where an animal has dug under the fence.
If you are experiencing coyote problems, contact FWC’s Wildlife Alert at 888-404-3922 or your nearest FWC regional office (in the Panama City area, that’s 265-3676).
Source: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the University of Florida