It might be time for Lamorinda’s coyote population to remember that humans are dangerous. It’s when canis latrans gets too comfortable with homo sapiens that things turn ugly; first for the people and their pets, and then for the coyotes.
Lamorinda Weekly has an excellent article about two joggers and their dogs, who were pursued by a pack of 10 coyotes last month in Rancho Laguna Park in Moraga. The women and their pets got away unscathed. The same might not be true for the coyotes.
It's when coyotes grow aggressive that wildlife officials call in the trappers. The article quotes a scientific paper that investigated what happens when humans leave coyotes alone. It’s not good.
"Our observations indicate that in the absence of harassment by residents, coyotes can lose their fear of people and come to associate humans with this safe, resource-rich environment. In such situations, some coyotes have begun to act aggressively toward humans, chasing joggers and bicyclists, confronting people walking their dogs, and stalking small children."
The Lamorinda Weekly article is quick to point out that only one coyote attack on a human has ever been recorded in Northern California.
In rural areas the rancher shoots them and hangs their carcasses on the fence to make their point to the other coyotes. Not sure this works , but it looks menacing. Coyotes are all over Briones and get pretty loud and menacing in isolated areas of the park especially around sundown. They will track you if you are with a dog.
When encountering coyotes near residential areas, people should scare them off and throw stuff at them. They are territorial animals that will get the message that they are not welcome in the land of the upright giants. If people tolerate their presence, they will encroach more and more. Leaving them alone in an encounter is the opposite of what you should do if you want to keep the wild animals safe and separated from people/pets. If coyotes start feeding on our pets, I think it is time to thin their numbers and push back their range. Not sure if I would put the head on a pike afterward, but I would have no problem doing some depredation work if necessary.
Coyote Chow looks like my cat.
So coyotes, wolves, bears, sharks are fair game if they get to close for their own good. It has worked for millions of years that way. It is how you even exist. I have thought of packing my handgun on MTN bike rides for this and other wierd hiker issues I have had on trails. Maybe I should.
Some of the packs of coyotes in Briones can be 4-8 at a time. When they decend down a canyon to you are very loud and threatening. You are definitely looking for protection at that point.
Coyotes are soooo timid. I see them several times a week when hiking with my dog and kids. Make a weird noise and they are G-O-N-E. So to say they need to be shot is just, so shallow. Reminds me of another phrase I learned in Montana, "If you can't (expletive - have intercourse) with it, then shoot it." Way to go, fellas.