Time to Review Coyote Precautions : As Anxiety Grows, City Should Reconsider Self-Imposed Ban on Trapping the Animals

Just seven months ago, the Board of Commissioners of the city’s Department of Animal Regulations voted to ban all its coyote trapping. This decision deserves a close reconsideration for several reasons. Already, nervous residents in the San Fernando Valley are complaining about increased sightings of the animal and growing numbers of attacks on pets.

“Something has changed, that is the issue,” said a Woodland Hills man at a gathering of 60 Valley residents attended by Animal Regulations officials and City Councilwoman Laura Chick. “They are coming in (to my back yard) and just laying around.”

Officials have attributed the burgeoning number of sightings to the ending of trapping by the city, to a larger population of coyotes and a better food supply. It is also possible that the recent wildfires disrupted habitats and regular feeding sources and that the animals might be confused as a result. The same fire damage may drive them to feed in more populated areas.

One of the reasons city officials cited for ending the trapping was the possibility of lawsuits brought by residents who might claim that the city was doing a poor job, or simply too little. But it later turned out that the city attorney’s office had not even been asked for a legal opinion in the matter. When they were asked, the city’s lawyers noted that Los Angeles would not be liable for legal damages whether it trapped none, some, or all of the animals.

So much for legal concerns.

But concerns about coyotes are real. Yes, residents should not feed the animals, and they should take other precautions as well. The increasing boldness or confusion of the coyotes indicates that there will be many more opportunities for attacks against pets or even against children. Los Angeles County animal control officials continue to provide trapping services in unincorporated areas for a fee. The city should reconsider.