Coyotes settling in on Madison's West Side

Capital Times ^ | 3-4-09 | RON SEELY

[SJackson]

Two incidents on Madison’s West Side in which small dogs were killed by coyotes in the last three weeks have prompted city officials to schedule a public meeting with wildlife experts who will talk about living safely alongside the wild animal.

Madison Ald. Mark Clear, 19th District, said one of the dogs was killed in early February in the Highlands neighborhood just north of Old Sauk Road while the other was killed in Parkwood Hills, south of Old Sauk Road. Both neighborhoods are adjacent to Owen Conservation Park, a 120-acre wooded park on Old Sauk that is home to five or six coyotes. One dog was a poodle, the other was a lhasa apso; both were found with bite marks typical of a coyote attack.

Enough residents have expressed concern, Clear said, that a public meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 26 at the Alicia Ashman Branch of the Madison Public Library, 733 N. High Point Rd. In attendance will be wildlife experts from the state Department of Natural Resources, the city of Madison and the UW-Madison.

“It’s a chance to educate people about living with urban wildlife,” Clear said.

Clear is no stranger to such issues. Last spring he had to quell an uprising of wild turkeys. The birds, jittery because it was the height of mating season, were attacking mail carriers in Parkwood Hills.

“It’s one wildlife issue after another,” Clear said.

While they say they feel badly for the families that lost their dogs, wildlife experts say coyotes are likely here to stay and that removing the animals is not an option because more coyotes would simply move in. Instead, said Doug Fendry, a wildlife specialist with the DNR, residents can take a number of steps that will reduce run-ins with coyotes. The most important of those measures, he said, is not letting small dogs or cats outside unattended, especially in neighborhoods known to be home to coyotes.

“So often with people with wild animal problems, all they want to hear from us is that we’re going to come in and take care of the problem for them,” Fendry said. “The reality is that coyotes have been here for a very long time. Really, the key is learning to live with them.”

Russ Hefty, a conservationist with the Madison Park District, also said coyotes are a beneficial part of the urban ecosystem because they help keep populations of everything from feral cats to rabbits and even those pesky wild turkeys in check.

Charlene Drumm, who lives in Parkwood Hills and edits the neighborhood newsletter, said residents there are very aware of the coyotes. She said when she walks her dog on snowy mornings she often sees the paw prints of the coyotes coming out of the woods and looping through backyards.

Some have expressed concern about the danger to people, especially children, but Fendry said attacks on people are extremely rare and added that he knows of none on record in Wisconsin.

Tips for dealing with coyotes

Wildlife experts suggest the following steps for dealing with urban coyotes:

• Do not feed coyotes. It is especially important not to feed the animals intentionally because they become more habituated to humans. Nor should you feed them unintentionally by leaving pet food or garbage outside.

• Do not let pets run loose. Experts say to be especially careful with small dogs and cats.

• Do not run from a coyote. If coyotes come into your yard, the best thing to do to discourage them from showing up again is to shout or to throw something such as a tennis ball in their direction.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

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