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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Coyotes Dining On Pets Have Residents Howling

Amy Scribner Staff writer

When Colette Jacobs returned to her home on 30th Avenue a few weeks ago, more than the mail awaited her.

The back half of a cat had been deposited on her porch.

It was a gift, she believes, from the coyotes that have been lingering in the open field behind her home since summer.

“You knew it was the work of a coyote; there’s no wondering,” she said. “I know that’s nature, but it was really bad.”

Residents from all over the South Hill are howling over what they say is an out-of-control coyote problem.

Neighborhood cats are disappearing and many people are convinced coyotes are to blame.

Jacobs said she’s called various animal control agencies to alert them to the problem. Each agency gave her different advice, from ignoring the coyotes to hiring a trapper.

“This is going a little too far,” she said. “I am not in the business of trapping animals. I live in a condominium.”

Jacobs insists the city should take care of the problem by removing the coyotes.

“We pay our taxes,” she said. “And I think the city should take care of this. I mean, I’m really afraid of this.”

Patti Sykes, an office manager at South Grand Veterinary Clinic, agrees.

“I have a stack of missing pet flyers an inch tall on my desk,” she said. Sykes says she’s dealt with an increasing number of distraught pet owners in recent months. She’s started a petition hoping to eliminate the problem.

The petition, addressed to Mayor Jack Geraghty and the Spokane City Council, asks the city to remove coyotes in the area between 29th Avenue and Rockwood Boulevard, Southeast Boulevard and Ivory. This is the area from which most the missing pet complaints come, said Sykes.

It’s also the area where Sykes discovered what she believes was a coyote den, behind Applebee’s on 29th.

The den was covered in an inch of cat fur, she said.

The restaurant’s general manager says he’s heard rumors of a den in the area, but hasn’t seen any coyotes.

Experts say they’re not surprised to find coyotes emerging in Spokane neighborhoods, pushed into the urban areas by rapid growth.

“We do have a large coyote population in this county,” said Nancy Sattin, Spokane County Animal Control’s chief officer. “Part of what’s happening is we’re growing so fast, we’re seeing an urban wildlife problem.”

Sykes has collected 150 signatures so far and hopes to gather several hundred before mailing it in.

Ken Anderson is one of those who signed the petition. A 24th Avenue resident, he says he often sees the coyotes with their pups on his morning walks.

“I saw Mom and Pop,” he said. “They make us very nervous. We have cats, and they love cats. And these coyotes are not the least bit nervous of us.”

Marcia Tunik also signed the petition. Her cat has been missing from her Highland Boulevard home since June, and she says many of her neighbors’ cats are also gone. The sheer number of missing cats has Tunik and other area residents certain this is the work of coyotes. Some mention they’re worried the disappearance of a child could be next.

Not likely, says John McColgin, a wildlife officer with the Department of Fish and Wildlife. He said coyote attacks on humans are nearly unheard of and usually are a result of the animal feeling threatened or cornered.

The most recent coyote attacks in the Northwest occurred at Yellowstone National Park. In 1992, a German tourist was bitten on the leg by a coyote. Park rangers also reported a series of attacks on tourists in the early 1990s. The only known case of a coyote-related death was in California, where a boy’s neck was reportedly broken some years back by a coyote.

Coyotes do, however, regularly include pets in their diet.

“Whatever they have the opportunity to take, they will,” he said. “They won’t hesitate to go in a backyard and take someone’s pet.”

And coyotes have no difficulties adjusting to city surroundings, said McColgin.

“Coyotes are definitely adaptable, especially in an area like the South Hill where there’s little pockets of timber spread throughout the growth,” he said.

So why will no one move them, Sykes wonders.”These are dislocated animals we just want relocated. Nobody wants to see the coyotes hurt,” she said.

“Relocating them is not an option with coyotes,” McColgin said. “It’s impossible to live trap them. They’re too cautious and they’re too intelligent.”

He added that methods commonly used to remove animals - shooting, trapping or poisoning - aren’t feasible in a neighborhood setting.

“Because of the population of that area and the possibility of kids and domestic pets getting hurt, we can’t use those methods,” he said.

The best way to deal with the problem is to eliminate the food source, he said.

“If you have small dogs or cats, I would suggest you just keep them in the house,” he said.

This doesn’t satisfy Sykes. She says she’ll continue making calls and sending petitions until something is done.

“Working with animals like I do, I have to keep on this,” she said. “Ignoring this would be like a doctor driving past a car wreck and not stopping.”

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