Coyotes Traveling Farther From Habitat to Find Food

Linda Nicholson’s cat was used to having the run of the neighborhood. The big tomcat feared little and was well respected by other cats in the neighborhood. But last month, after 15 years of eluding dogs and cars, the cat fell victim to a foe Nicholson never thought to worry about--coyotes.

As a resident of Brea’s Old Town section, well to the south of the hills and canyons that rim the city’s northern border, Nicholson figured she would never see a coyote slinking down her street. But on June 8, she witnessed two of them in her front yard.

About 2:30 a.m. Nicholson went out on her front porch to see what her dog was barking at. The two animals, about the size of German shepherds, took off when she appeared, Nicholson said, but not before one of them dropped what was left of her cat.

“They were beige and brown, definitely coyotes,” she said.

Coyotes have also been blamed by Lora Bramberg for the death of her cat earlier this month. Bramberg found her cat’s remains, including its collar, at a nearby Alpha Beta.

What frightens both Nicholson and Bramberg, who live off Brea Boulevard just south of Imperial Highway, is that the coyotes have traveled far from their normal habitat in the canyons, and have been bold enough to come right up to the house.

Bramberg said her cat “never left my front porch. In fact I think there is blood on my porch.”

Coyotes are no strangers in many parts of Orange County with hilly terrain and open space. But after four years of drought, the animal’s natural habitat has become depleted of the small animals and birds that coyotes normally feed upon, authorities say, and the coyotes have been spotted farther and farther from their homes.

Residents of the hilly areas of north Tustin have had frequent encounters with coyotes for years, and now the animals have been spotted farther to the south in more populated neighborhoods.

“As the food chain dies out, coyotes will be seen in areas where there are people,” said Patrick Moore, an information officer with the Department of Fish and Game. “They are scavengers and will eat lots of things, including fruit and vegetables.”

For the most part, coyotes are not threats to humans, Moore said, but he has heard of instances where coyotes attacked small children.

“Coyotes aren’t prone to becoming aggressive unless they are trapped or cornered,” he said.

According to a spokesman in Brea’s maintainance department, there is little the city can do about the coyotes. Callers who complain about the animals are told to keep garbage cans covered and to keep pets and their food in the house at night.

Moore echoed that advice, saying that uncovered garbage was a great attraction to coyotes. He also suggested harvesting ripe fruits and vegetables immediately.

But even if residents are diligent in keeping their trash covered and their pets and pet food inside, once a coyote has found food, it will continue to return.

“Even when you remove the stimulant, they will continue to travel to an area where they have had success,” Moore said. “They form a pattern and it can take a while for that pattern to break.”