By Amanda Knox

When asked about what sort of services have been provided in response to reports of coyote sightings in Ballard urban areas, Chris Anderson, District 12 (King County) wildlife biologist, responds, “What do you mean, services?”

Clearly we hadn’t started out on the same page.

Since September, local news sources have reported the accounts of Ballard residents who sighted coyotes stalking the streets and even attacking pets. The various sightings added up, raising public concern. Who else to call for professional assistance than Seattle Animal Control?

It turns out that SAC is concerned with domestic animals, not wildlife, and they don’t respond in the case of a wild animal unless it happens to be injured or dead. Rather, living, roaming wildlife are the concern of a distinct branch called the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. And their prescription for human-wildlife relations? Educate the humans on how behave properly.

It also turns out that recent increased coyote sightings in urban areas are not a sign of invasion. Those same coyotes have been there all along, tucked quietly away in the greenbelts threaded throughout the city. Autumn is the time of year that all wildlife populations (coyote, raccoon, bird…) are at their peak and most mobile. Coyote pups in particular have grown up and into their winter coats, and naturally seek out their own patches of territory in other greenbelts, requiring migration through our urban areas. The winter months then thin out their population again. It happens every year in the same way, in our vicinity, mostly without our notice. These are urban wildlife.

The trick is keeping them wild, and any hiccups in this endeavor are not the fault of the coyotes. According to the WDFW website, “Humans increase the likelihood of conflicts with coyotes by deliberately or inadvertently feeding the animals, whether by handouts or by providing access to food sources such as garbage, pet food, or livestock carcasses. When people provide food, coyotes quickly lose their natural fear of humans and become increasingly aggressive. They also become dependent on the easy food source people provide. Once a coyote stops hunting on its own and loses its fear of people, it becomes dangerous and may attack without warning.”

WDFW provides follow-up instructions for how to avoid inadvertently attracting coyote conflict:
• Don’t leave children unattended where coyotes are frequently seen or heard.
• Prevent access to garbage and compost by tightly securing receptacles or keeping receptacles in enclosed locations.
• Feed pets indoors and keep them indoors overnight.
• If you should encounter an aggressive coyote, pick up small children immediately and act big and aggressively. Convince the coyote you are not prey, but a potential danger.

Coyotes are an integral part of our ecosystem, and an invaluable asset in controlling the non-native rodent population. Rather than an invader, they are actually our neighbors, and should be regarded respectfully, preferably from a distance.

For more information on the animal and how a human should respond to it, please visit http://wdfw.wa.gov.