City Will No Longer Trap Coyotes for Any Reason

The city of Los Angeles will no longer trap coyotes under any conditions--even with harmless “live-capture” traps--because of complaints by animal rights activists and fears of lawsuits.

In an action that some San Fernando Valley hillside residents said would leave them unprotected from coyotes that kill household pets, city Department of Animal Regulation commissioners voted Monday to ban all coyote trapping by its employees. The ban protects even animals who bite humans and are suspected of carrying rabies.

The board’s vote ended a one-year period during which animal regulation officers were allowed to use only traps that would capture coyotes without harming them. The humane traps resemble small cages, open at two ends; a coyote entering to take the bait triggers a spring that snaps the doors shut, trapping it inside without harm.

During the yearlong trial, the number of coyotes taken dropped to 37, from 93 the previous year, according to a Department of Animal Regulation report. The number of pets attacked increased to 218 from 146, the report says.

The humane traps policy went into effect in May, 1992. It had been pushed by animal rights activists, who complained that the animals could be injured by the traditional rubber-padded, steel leg-hold traps, which snap closed on an animal’s leg or paw.

Activists continued lobbying for a complete trapping ban however, arguing that the city should not manage wildlife.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment for 23 years,” Lila Brooks, director of the Hollywood-based California Wildlife Defenders, said after Monday’s vote. In addition to pressure from activists, the board was motivated by a manpower shortage and by a desire to distance the city as much as possible from the coyote problem, on the theory that if the city takes no action to control the animals it will not be legally responsible for problems they cause.

A coyote killed a 3-year-old girl in the front yard of her home in a hillside area of Glendale in 1981. Children have survived attacks in other areas, including a 1979 attempt by a coyote to drag a baby out of a yard in Agoura.

If the city continued trying to manage coyote problems, it could be found liable for failing to do enough if a resident sued over a coyote attack on a child or pet, commissioners said. Therefore, the whole issue should be left to the state or county governments, they concluded.

“All we are saying is give it to the other agencies,” said board President Rita Hoisch. “It’s out of our hands.”

“I think a total ban would really do the city the most good,” said Commissioner Jaime Velasco, a veterinarian. “My thought is if we leave the coyote alone, they will leave us alone.”

Some Valley homeowners expressed concern that the ban on coyote trapping will leave the city with no way to effectively deal with coyotes that prey on pets. In the past year, the city has received more than 500 requests from residents for coyote trapping services.

“What is the city or county going to do with the problem?” asked Richard Close, president of the Sherman Oaks Homeowner Assn., who said coyotes have attacked pets in Santa Monica Mountains neighborhoods from Studio City to Woodland Hills.