Darren Julian and Jake Jaeger, Terrestrial Wildlife Program manager
Susan Knox Wilson
Coyotes are a fact of life here in PebbleCreek. Our homeowner’s association (HOA) acknowledges the reality that we have wild neighbors and believes we all need to learn how to coexist and reduce negative encounters with the creatures in our midst. To help residents better understand how to live with coyotes and other wild animals in our community, the HOA recently invited representatives of the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) to visit PebbleCreek and give us some advice.
“People often inadvertently create conflicts with wildlife by providing food, water, and shelter that attract them,” stated Darren Julian, AZGFD urban wildlife specialist. “Continued contact with non-threatening humans can make animals like coyotes and javelinas bold and uninhibited about being in residential areas.”
Julian gave the following tips to help keep wildlife wild and healthy:
1. Do not intentionally feed wildlife (it is also illegal to do, not only in PebbleCreek, but in Maricopa County*)
2. Store all garbage securely
3. Feed pets indoors
4. Don’t let your pets roam free, always walk your dog on a leash
5. Trim shrubs up from the ground (so they don’t create hiding places)
6. Clean up fallen fruits
7. Discourage wildlife presence (make loud noises, throw rocks, spray the animal with pepper spray, a garden hose, or use a soaker gun filled with 90% water and 10% ammonia)
Julian pointed out that elimination of coyotes from the community is not feasible or permanent (nature will simply fill the void with new coyotes). It is also not desirable because of the lost benefit of rodent control. Like other top predators, coyotes play a critical role in keeping natural areas healthy. As a keystone species, their presence in PebbleCreek has a significant impact on rabbit, bird, duck, ground squirrel, and even insect populations. By exerting a top-down regulation of other species, coyotes maintain the balance in the food chain below and around them.
“The effort to manage the environment rather than the coyote through a combination of education, enforcement, and investigation, has been shown to bring the widest and longest lasting results,” Julian concluded.
You can learn more about coyote biology and behavior, seasonal expectations, coyote hazing, and deterrents from www.projectcoyote.org and the Arizona Game and Fish Department site, www.azgfd.com.
If you missed the August presentation, representatives from AZGFD will return to PebbleCreek for an additional presentation on Oct. 6 at 3 p.m. in the Eagle’s Nest Ballroom, sponsored by the Pet Companions Club.
*Unlawful Feeding of Wildlife
(ARS § 13-2927): A person commits unlawful feeding of wildlife by intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly feeding, attracting, or otherwise enticing wildlife into an area.” The fine for feeding wildlife is up to $300. If you see—or know of—anyone feeding wildlife, please report them to AZGFD: at 800-352-0700.