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Coyotes in Metro Atlanta

May 16, 2007, 12:0AM MT

By Christy Crabtree

Residents concerned over increased coyote sightings in Atlanta suburbs

Residents concerned over increased coyote sightings in Atlanta suburbs

By Barbara J. Koll, Best Friends Network

Residents in all parts of Atlanta have reported Coyote sightings in recent months. The problem is so significant that it became the topic of specially called town hall meetings in at least two communities in April and May.

Sightings in Norcross, Vinings and Stone Mountain

Vinings residents report that 50 cats have been lost to coyotes. Homeowners have hired a professional animal trapper to help alleviate the problem. He reportedly has captured more than 12 coyotes from the Vinings clan and 9 more near the Atlanta Country Club.

In Stone Mountain, one community’s “e-alert” network for notifying residents of safety issues has issued several warnings about coyotes and pets. The websites for several local businesses that offer coyote trapping, control, relocation and exclusion services in Georgia report that they have trapped coyotes in Roswell, Alpharetta, Marietta, Lithia Springs, and Buckhead.

News of coyote sightings in Norcross spread quickly over the Internet and became enough of a concern to cause city officials to post a message on the city’s website to ease residents’ fears. Residents are warned to call 911 if they see a coyote and not to approach them or attempt to trap or kill them. Norcross officials plan to educate the people about coyotes in order to effectively manage the problem and reduce the threat to people and pets.

Why is this happening?

Coyotes are resourceful and adaptable and will take advantage of whatever situation they encounter in order to survive. They have the ability to alter their feeding strategy and diet to whatever food type is most available. A suburban environment provides a variety of food sources – pet food, bird food, garbage, compost piles, unharvested fruits and vegetables, and road kill. People are not seen as a threat by coyotes as long as they don’t make any aggressive moves. Attacks on humans are rare and most often occur when someone is trying to rescue their pet. However, coyotes are not afraid of people and there are several instances in which homeowners have seen them within a few yards of their back doors.

There are numerous reasons for the proliferation of coyote sightings in metropolitan areas. As their natural habitat shrinks due to urban growth, they are forced to live closer to humans and to enter residential areas in search of food. Coyotes used to be hunted by wolves. Since wolves are rarely seen now in the eastern United States, the coyote has taken over the wolf’s habitat and now has no natural predator. Therefore, the coyote is at the top of its food chain. Coyotes are prolific reproducers with females giving birth to four to six pups a year. All of these factors together result in an ever increasing number of coyotes in metropolitan areas.

Coyotes are beneficial to the environment

Even though coyotes may be a nuisance to residents, they help maintain the balance of nature. They are a great method of natural rodent control and keep the rat, gopher, squirrel and rabbit population in check. Natural rodent control is much better than man made poisons and inhumane traps which frequently have the unintended result of harming pets and children.

Long-term solutions

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) receives hundreds of calls about coyotes in Metro Atlanta each month. That number will likely only increase because the coyotes are here to stay. According to the City of Norcross website, there has been a 3000% increase in the coyote population in Metro Atlanta in the past 15 years. Any efforts to eradicate them from our area will not likely be successful. The biggest concern is the danger to pets and small children. The reason so many pets fall victim to the coyotes is that they are easy prey and the coyotes’ other food sources have been disappearing. By working together with wild life experts and government officials, residents should be able to mitigate the danger to pets and humans.

Despite the increase in coyotes in urban areas, humans can learn to coexist peacefully with this species. According to the Wildlife Resources Division of the DNR, homeowners have little reason to fear coyotes. By nature they are a timid breed who prefer to avoid human contact and any potential confrontation. Additionally, coyotes do not normally travel in packs and are primarily solitary hunters.

Setting traps is not a viable solution. Poisoning is completely wrong and a danger to other animals and to people. Attempting to solve the problem by killing coyotes will disrupt their population structure and lead to increased breeding and larger litters as well as disturb the entire eco-system of the area. Residents need to become educated about the habits of the coyotes, how to avoid them, and what to do if they see one in their neighborhood.

What can you do?

Preventive measures and education are the best methods for dealing with the increase in the coyote population. There are many steps individuals can take to discourage coyotes from entering their property. The key is consistency and constant awareness. The City of Norcross website (www.norcrossga.net) offers a number of suggestions to residents who believe that coyotes may be in their neighborhoods:

• Do not feed any type of wildlife on your property; feeding encourages them to become dependent on humans.
• Eliminate outside sources of water.
• Place bird feeders so that coyotes can't get the feed. They may be attracted by the seed as well as the birds and rodents that come to the feeders.
• Make sure edible garbage is in secure garbage containers; eliminate garbage odors if possible.
• Feed pets indoors if possible; if feeding outdoors, remove any leftovers; don’t store pet food where it is accessible to wildlife.
• Keep shrubbery trimmed to ground level so that it doesn’t provide hiding cover for coyotes.
• Supervise small children when outside especially if coyotes have been sighted in the area.
• Keep pets safely confined and provide secure nighttime housing for them. Walk your dog on a leash. Always accompany your pet outside, especially at night.
• If you see coyotes around your home or property, chase them away by shouting or making loud noises.

Please visit these websites for more information:
http://georgiawildlife.dnr.state.ga.us/content/displaycontent.asp?txtDocument=91&txtPage=1 (fact sheet)
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/pubs/fsheet_faq_notice/fs_wscoyote.html (fact sheet)
http://www.fundwildlife.org/coexist/coyotes.html (tips for co-existing with coyotes)

Photo credit: US Fish and Wildlife Service

Comments

Posted May 01, 2009, 12:15PM by c_buchheit

On Wednesday, April 29th, 2009, my little dog was outside doing his morning routine and disappeared. Later that day animal control came to my home and told me they found his headless body and wanted to know if I had any enemies. I said no. They had to take him for an exam by their vet who reported back it was a coyote that got him.
He was a very sweet and harmless little dog who was 12 years old. Afraid of his own shadow most days and only three teeth he was no match for a hungry coyote that took him from our yard in the day light hours. Now, I am so sad without my little shadow and my heart is broken knowing how he died. Something must be done to get the coyotes under control so that innocent domestic animals can live out their little lives with their families. He was twelve years old and just the sweetest little dog you could imagine. Me and my family are devastated.

Posted March 27, 2008, 11:49AM by DirtyD

My small dog fell prey to a coyote on January 18, 2008...it has been devastating. We had an electric fence, but those don't keep out coyotes! Peachtree corners area beware! Your pets and small children are not safe!

Posted October 28, 2009, 8:41AM by Jellis536

Hello All, I wanted to broadcast my story in hopes to promote awareness about the Coyote problems in the Cobb County area. My pet was attacked on October 22, 2009 in my fenced back yard. For those who don't want the read the entire story, please be aware: 1) Coyotes CAN jump fences that are 5 feet tall. 2) Coyotes are not afraid of lit back yards 3) Coyotes are in populated busy residential areas in Marietta, GA. Please take action to protect your pet! My story: There are been several reports of coyote sitings in the Marietta area but I never thought that my pet was in danger. I live in a townhome community right off of Delk and Powers Ferry Rd and felt the stories of coyote attacks would never affect my life until October 22, 2009 at 6am. My alarm clock woke me up and as I was lying in bed I heard a cat cry from my back yard. I thought at first that it wasn't my cat because she doesn't hardly make any noise, but then had a second thought because the cry was a quiet cry that sounded like her faint meow. I jumped out of bed to look out of the window and expected to see another cat in my FENCED back yard trying to start a fight with my non-aggressive kitty. The horror that I witnessed has scarred me for life. Two large coyotes were hovering over my precious little girl. I screamed and banged on the window and ran down to rescue her. When I reached the downstairs door, the coyotes were still in my fenced yard so I banged on the door window and flung the door open very quickly to startle them. They quickly jumped over the 5 foot fence with ease and ran away. I was too late. My kitty was still breathing but sustained severed damage to the head and passed away on the way to the ER Vet clinic. I am still in shock that I had 2 coyotes in my tiny backyard. My kitty has been living in the back yard for 3 years and I never imagined that something like this would have happened. My worst fear was that an aggressive cat would come in the yard and try to pick a fight, never this. I also always left my back porch light on to deter any predators that could jump the fence. I never knew that coyotes could jump fences and had I known, I would have locked her kitty door at night to keep her inside. The vet at the ER clinic said that the coyotes are getting more aggressive and I think this is a perfect example. Entering a fenced, lighted, populated area is alarming and needs to be communicated to the community. People need to know the behaviors of these dangerous predators to protect their loved ones. I would hate for anyone else to experience the traumatic event I experienced Thursday morning. Its something that will haunt me for a long time. I hope you can find a way to promote awareness and save the life of a pet and maybe help prevent further aggressiveness. The last thing we want to see is a child being attacked by a coyote. Thank you for your time and PLEASE post any information you have about coyotes, Jennifer Gleaton

Posted November 09, 2009, 9:48PM by jdbjd123

Jennifer, Heartfelt sympathies on the loss of your special friend and thank you for acting to save others from the same sadness by asking people to share coyote info. I'm definitely seeing so much more coyote/wildlife activity in Jefferson Township (Cobb County adjacent to Cherokee County off Sandy Plains near Route 92). I've been caring for pets in Jefferson Township for several years, but coyotes have just become a problem the past couple of months. One night last summer I let a dog into his fenced yard as usual; my heart stopped when I saw him approach a small coyote nearly his own size just feet from the door, inside the fence, near the pool (water source for wild animals). Fortunately, he obeyed my clicker 'call-back' command and no harm was done, but this encounter was too close for comfort! More recently, another Jefferson Township pet owner saw a 'wolf-like' animal in the street in broad daylight and the next day, I saw several dogs' behavior change markedly. Dogs, even one cat, suddenly avoided going out, but did better when I walked them in the street, away from the wooded areas. Last week, I cared for this cat after he came home from the Emergency Clinic with a 'kill-bite' wound to the throat (he has just become an 'indoor cat' and is alive and well). I guess they were always there in the woody yards, co-existing just out of human view, but twice last week, I've heard them myself - each time my human senses were confirmed by unusual, fearful dog behavior. You are right that, when coyotes come into fenced lighted yards, this is something to communicate with neighbors - I've seen several loving, responsible pet owners, like yourself, taken totally by surprise ... I'll do my best to pass the word and raise awareness. Sincerely, Judy Beaumont .

Posted November 19, 2009, 2:40PM by Tricia w

I live in the Tucker area, off of Chamblee-Tucker Rd. This morning, Nov.19, 2009, I spotted a coyote in my backyard. It was approximately 8:00 am. This is the second sighting in or around my yard. I am trying to spread the word, because I, like other people, have a small dog. I hope the message gets out. If anyone lives in this area, please post a comment! Thanks!