Coyotes: Beautiful creatures not to be feared

“Coyotes would usually be feeding on animals like voles and mice, things like small birds, rabbits and hares and stuff like that, but when it is really cold like this and during the winter, they do tend to form up more in packs that can be from six to 10 animals in one pack.”

She explained that with a larger pack, coyotes are able to hunt down larger food sources to replenish the energy they’ve used walking in the extreme cold.

“They’re looking for things like injured deer, dead things so roadkill would be something that would attract coyotes like that.”

HUMAN ENCOUNTERS

Deacon-Rogers said although coyotes are social animals, they’re generally afraid of people.

“Especially adult people because humans are pretty big and unpredictable,” she told LNN.

She said if you do spot a coyote or a pack while out and about, you should stop and watch what they’re doing.

“They’re beautiful animals to watch. Coyotes generally aren’t aggressive towards people, so you don’t need to be too concerned.”

However, if they do start to approach you, you should make yourself look bigger by waving your warms, clapping and yelling in order to scare them off.

“If you do have small pets, like cats or small dogs, those are animals that are the size of prey – natural prey for coyotes and so, having your dogs walking on leash, having them close to you so that you can control your dog’s behavior and making sure that your dogs aren’t running towards the coyotes is also really important as well,” Deacon-Rogers added.

SPRING AND SUMMER

Deacon-Rogers explained that humans are most likely to see coyotes out during the day in the wintertime, especially around Lethbridge’s river valley.

They are in the region year-round, though. However, during the rest of the year, they generally hunt more around dusk and dawn, as opposed to the middle of the day like in the winter.

Deacon-Rogers said in addition to the river valley, people in Lethbridge may see packs near communities that border the valley. Coyotes also like to hunt on the edge of the city, in open fields where they’re likely to find smaller animals like mice.

“They’re really good at adapting to all sorts of different areas but they do like to have kind of open spaces to be able to hunt as well,” she said.

“They will go where food is as well, so any area that has lots of mice and foals and rabbits and things like that is a place where they will spend time, especially in the winter when it is a bit cool.”

IN YOUR BACKYARD

Deacon-Rogers said as with any type of wildlife, it’s important to make sure garbage left outside is properly sealed, as to not attract animals.

“Coyotes are scavengers and if they can find easy food, they will take it,” she told LNN.

“If you have a coyote in your yard, there’s probably something attracting it there. They generally won’t come into neighborhoods or into yards like that because they are quite nervous about people, so would not look to be having an encounter like that.”

ENJOY & APPRECIATE THEM

“Coyotes are a neat part of living in southern Alberta,” Deacon-Rogers said, adding it can be quite the experience to hear the animals calling to each other at night.

She encourages anyone who is nervous about coyotes to look more into them.

“They’re very, very intelligent,” she said.

“The way that they interact with each other within their pack is highly sophisticated. They have all sorts of really interesting calls and ways of communicating, as well as dominance hierarchies in their packs, so there’s alpha males and females and things like that, so they’re really interesting animals to learn more about and not something that we necessarily need to be afraid of.”

More on the work of the Helen Schuler Nature Centre can be found here.

by Justin Goulet

Coyotes: Beautiful creatures not to be feared

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