Coyotes in Culver City

The good, the bad and the ugly.

 

Culver City Police Department discussed the City’s Coyote Management Program on June 13 at Linwood Howe Elementary. As a resident of Culver City for any length of time, it may be obvious that coyotes are not just confining themselves to the outskirts of the community.

For example, there is currently a dialogue going on at Nextdoor.com, in which local citizens are reporting missing pets, primarily cats, but even small dogs. Several residents have said they have witnessed a coyote on or near their property, and some have even stated coyotes were seen with the pet in its mouth or near to the intruder.

A 2016 article in the National Parks Conservation states that “Coyotes are not newcomers to Los Angeles. They have lived in the area since long before European settlement. As the city grew, they may have been temporarily extirpated, but wildlife managers believe they have lived in the concrete landscape for at least the last three decades.”

Sightings have been reported in or around the following neighborhoods; Lindberg Park, Syd Kronenthal Park and Culver Crest according to Culver City Police Department.

With business development not seeming to slow down some residents believe long-term solutions need to be discussed, such as to how to live with the fact that we are continuing to build where wildlife exists, and in some cases, intruding on their homes.

Green Connections, which describes itself as a “long-term planning project to improve 115 miles of San Francisco streets” has developed a plan that may serve as a model. The Green Connections Ecology Guides has neighborhood routes and recommendations for plants that promote target species and habitats.

This, by the way, includes room for wildlife like the coyote but encourages where they would be drawn to residing, which is not in the middle of a housing development. “Each route in the network is named after a native San Francisco ‘Key Species’ and is designed to incorporate ‘Key Habitat’ for that species,” according to Keenehan.

The ugly

Culver City resident, Liz Hadley said, “we have been having a problem with Coyotes in Carlson Park and at least 4 cats have been killed.”

It may come as a surprise to know the multitude of sightings in Los Angeles County alone. The University of California Wildlife Interactions Advisor Dr. Niamh Quinn’s website states that it takes only scroll over an interactive map to see just where these coyotes are showing up in California. It may come as a surprise the multitude of sightings in Los Angeles County alone.

The bad 

The L.A. Times reported that on March 14, a 5-year-old boy suffered a puncture wound from a coyote while walking with his father at Cal State Univesity, Los Angeles campus. That same day, a student was also approached by a coyote and authorities saw several other on campus. According to a study in the Urban Coyote Research Project, about a dozen coyote attacks occurred each year between 1985 and 2006 states the Washington Post.

The good 

Coyotes are thought to be the most intelligent of the wild canids because they have been able to survive and thrive despite human efforts to exterminate them for hundreds of years, states brittanica.com

Projectcoyote.org states that “They are true omnivores, and will eat a wide variety of foods, including rodents, rabbits, insects, lizards, snakes, vegetables, and fruits. As scavengers, they provide an ecological service by helping to keep our communities clean of carrion.”

For more information please contact :http://www.culvercitypd.org/animalservices or cal lAnimal Services: 310-253-6143.

Culver City Animal Services
Culver City Police Department
4040 Duquesne Avenue
Culver City, California 90232
http://www.culvercitypd.org/animalservices
Coyote Management and
Hazing Techniques