By Andrew Walsh
awalsh@wbcowqel.com
Coyotes have long been prevalent in Ohio, but the last few years their population has risen significantly. Naturalist Logan Masters led a program at Lowe-Volk Park Wednesday night that outlined some of the dangers and damage that can be caused by this animal, and what precautions people can take to prevent unfortunate incidents.
Coyotes are particularly adaptable because they have such a varied diet. They eat vegetation, meat, and can scavenge. This makes them ideally suited to surviving just about anywhere. They are also proficient breeders, as their litters contain an average of six pups and they usually breed twice per year.
Some of the problems coyotes cause include crop and livestock destruction, they have been known to attack pets, and, rarely, attack people. Attacks on humans are quite rare, and this is not meant to cause some extreme alarm, but they have happened. Coyotes and humans historically have not encountered each other much, but as coyote populations have increased this has brought the two species closer together.
Another product of the rising population has been the increased activity of coyotes during the day. They are typically nocturnal animals, but with so many of them around some have had to switch to pursuing food during the day in order to provide. This increased daylight activity certainly increases the likelihood of an encounter between humans and coyotes.
Some of the things you can do are use caution in interactions with wildlife. Coyotes typically fear humans because we are larger than them, but that is not to say that reason and good judgment should be abandoned when the potential for an encounter exists.
Another way to keep them from interfering in your property (and by extension limiting the chance for an encounter) is to keep you property as clean as possible and devoid of trash, refuse, etc. The presence of these elements encourages coyotes to forage for food.
Masters encouraged people to contact wildlife officials if they experience any problems with coyotes.