Co-Existing With Coyotes
Coyotes in Rockville?
Coyotes are an extremely adaptable wildlife species that survive well in urban environments - including our City.
Coyotes were first spotted in Rockville in the late 1990’s and have been seen regularly around the Falls Grove development. However, they can be found in any neighborhood, including yours! Report coyote sightings to 240-314-8900.
Why are coyotes here?
Many people believe coyotes are in Rockville because we have “taken over their home.” Actually, we have created habitat for coyotes by expanding urban areas. Large rodent populations, accessible garbage and plenty of green spaces are all reasons why coyotes call Rockville home.
Historically coyotes were a Western United States species. They were first documented in Maryland in 1972, with the highest population being in Western Maryland and on the Eastern Shore. Population increases are expected.
What do coyotes look like?
What do they eat?
In rural wild environments, up to 70 percent of a coyote’s diet consists of small mammals (mice, voles, rabbits, etc.). The remaining 30 is percent is a combination of fruits, vegetables, insects, fish, birds, eggs and other available items.
In urban areas, such as Rockville, coyotes also prey on rats, squirrel, geese, fawns, garbage, yard fruit and small domestic pets.
When are coyotes most active?
Coyotes can be active anytime of day or night. Coyote young are born in the spring, and food requirements of the nursing females and growing young remain high until late summer.
At the same time, people and their pets spend more time outdoors as the weather becomes warmer. Therefore, the possibility of coyote encounters increases during summer.
Conflicts with coyotes in Rockville
Conflicts between people and coyotes in Rockville are very rare. Only a handful of people have reported coyote sightings in Rockville and there have been no reports of coyote bites in Rockville or elsewhere in Maryland. On average, roughly 1,200 animal bites are reported in Montgomery County each year, and none of these have been attributed to a coyote (as reported by the Montgomery County Police Department of Animal Services). Comparatively speaking, the risk posed to humans by coyotes is slight.
Do not feed coyotes
Coyotes in the urban environment have an adequate food supply and are capable of surviving in this environment without our help. In fact, by feeding coyotes you put yourself, your neighborhood and the coyote at risk. A coyote that becomes dependent on humans for food may become too bold around humans, bite someone and have to be destroyed.
Report aggressive coyotes
Aggressive coyotes should be immediately reported to the City of Rockville Police Department at 240-314-8900. If a coyote behaves aggressively toward humans, it will be removed from the neighborhood.
Be prepared!
If you are concerned about encountering an aggressive coyote, you may want to keep a deterrent handy. Deterrents can include rocks, pots and pans, tennis balls, tin cans filled with nails or coins to make loud noise and a super-soaker filled with vinegar.
If a coyote approaches you:
When are coyotes a risk to people?
Although naturally curious, coyotes are usually timid animals and normally run away if challenged. Coyotes can be a risk to people if they have become comfortable around humans, usually as the result of feeding.
It is not normal for coyotes to attack or pursue humans, especially adults; it is a learned response to human behavior. You can discourage coyotes from feeling comfortable around you by responding to their presence and eliminating coyote attractants (food sources) from your yard and neighborhood.
Remove coyote attractants in your area
Coyotes should not feel comfortable around people or their homes. If a coyote is comfortable in your neighbor’s yard, it is also comfortable in your yard, around your children and your pets. If you see a coyote in your neighborhood, you should do your best to make it feel unwelcome. You can discourage coyotes from hanging around your home by scaring coyotes off your property and by removing coyote attractants, such as
Keeping our pets safe
Recognizing the risk is the first step toward preventing conflict between coyotes and your pet. Coyotes will prey on outdoor cats and small dogs. Pets have been reportedly taken from backyards, open spaces and even right off the leash. There are, however, some things you can do to reduce the risk to your pets:
If you own a cat: The only way to guarantee your cat’s safety is to keep it indoors. Removing coyote attractants from your yard and neighborhood will reduce the probability of a coyote visiting your home. Outdoor cats face potential death from cars, diseases, parasites, raccoons and dogs, in addition to coyotes.
If you own a small dog: If you are aware of coyotes in your neighborhood, you can greatly reduce the risk of conflict if you:
If you own a large dog: Coyotes pose less risk to medium-to large-sized dogs. Keep large dogs on leash, except in designated areas, and discourage your dog from feeling comfortable with coyotes by preventing it from “playing” or interacting with a coyote.
Fence your yard: Another option to protect pets and children is to fence in your rear yard. Minimum height to keep out coyotes is six feet. A five-foot fence with a rolling top bar is considered adequate.
Why co-exist with coyotes?
Coyotes have adapted to urban lifestyles because city environments support them. The majority of coyotes continue to feed primarily on the millions of mice and rats in Maryland and are just one part of our fortunately diverse ecosystem.
Eradication programs in North American cities have proven to be expensive failures. While eradication may remove (kill) individual animals, the coyote habitat remains and will be filled by other coyotes. Trapping and poisoning programs are not practical in urban areas because they can not discriminate between coyotes, children, pets and other wildlife. These programs expose all of them to the same risk.
Coexistence is not an option if an individual coyote has threatened a person. Any aggressive coyote will removed from the area. Even after a problem coyote has been removed, the environment and human behavior that led to the coyote’s actions remain.
If people are still feeding coyotes and allowing them to feel comfortable around homes, people and pets, problem coyotes will occur again and again.
This “Co-Existing with Coyotes” publication was produced in response to increasing public demand for information about coyotes in Rockville. This information aims to reduce conflict between people, pets and coyotes by providing accessible and useful knowledge about urban coyotes.
Thank you to the Stanley Park Ecology Society (SPES), a community based, not-for-profit organization dedicated to encouraging stewardship of our natural world through environmental education and action. SPES developed this information and gave the City of Rockville special permission to adapt and re-print its content.
Stanley Park Ecology Society
PO Box ox 5167, Vancouver BC, V6B 4B2
www.stanleyparkecology.ca