Countywide : Officials Say Coyote Problem Growing

Animal control officials say the coyote problem in the county appears to be growing, despite considerable publicity warning residents to keep their pets indoors because of attacks.

“Today alone I’ve probably handled a dozen calls from cat owners who have lost their cats to coyotes,” Marie Hulett-Curtner, Orange County animal control’s public education officer, said this week.

Coyotes appear not only in rural areas but also in residential districts in Orange and Tustin. One Villa Park resident reported losing four cats to the predators, Hulett-Curtner said.

“We have a very substantial population of coyotes in all the cities of Orange County,” she said. “These are urban coyotes. They have totally adapted their lifestyles to living in an urban setting.”

Residents tend to look to the county to solve the problem, Hulett-Curtner said.

“Aside from killing the coyotes, people think we can trap them and take them to some magical place that exists someplace and turn them loose,” she said.

However, officials say state laws prohibit the capture and relocation of wildlife without a special permit because of the effect such actions would have on the ecosystem. During the past year, regulations against trapping coyotes have become even more restrictive, they say.

In an effort to solve the coyote problem, county officials say residents should keep pets and pet food indoors and make sure outdoor trash containers are tightly sealed.

“Orange County residents need to be reminded of this constantly, especially cat owners, because they insist it’s unfair to keep cats indoors,” Hulett-Curtner said.

Even the man who lost four cats is not convinced his pets must stay inside, she said. “He has two more cats and he insists they’re going to remain outdoor cats.”

The coyote problem is not new to the county.

In May, 1992, San Clemente officials launched an effort to trap coyotes in the Forster Canyon community after a rash of attacks, including one in which a girl was slightly injured while playing in her back yard during the day.

However, Orange County animal control officials say coyotes don’t naturally attack humans. When the animals do become aggressive, it is generally because they are defending something, such as their food or their young, said Mark McDorman, chief of animal control field operations for the county.

“They don’t prey on children,” he said.

Officials say the number of coyotes has increased because the past year’s rains caused a proliferation of plant life, which boosted the population of all animals along the food chain.

As the animal life begins to dwindle, the coyote population should also decrease. However, as long as the predators can find other food sources, such as house pets, pet food and human food discards, they continue to thrive, experts say.

For more information, call county animal control at (714) 935-6301.