Beaumont-Wilshire residents have been asking a lot of questions about the coyote population in the neighborhood. We went to a local expert on the subject to get answers. The following responses to our questions are courtesy of Alameda resident Barbara Brower, professor emerita of geography at Portland State University. Barbara and her PSU students developed the Portland Urban Coyote Project over 10 years ago. The project tracks coyote sightings reported to its site by the Portland Metro community.
Q: Has the coyote population in B-W increased in the last year?
A: Are coyotes increasing? Three Northeast Portland neighborhood newsletters are running stories about coyotes this fall, all prompted by what some residents believe to be a surge in coyote numbers. While there are likely to be limited local fluctuations, coyotes are territorial, and local populations typically remain pretty stable over time. The impression that coyote populations are on the rise is more likely driven by seasonal changes in behavior and visibility rather than significant increases in population.
Q: Late fall last year, neighbors reported seeing coyotes in groups of three or more; in one instance five together at Wilshire Park. Is this typical?
A: Sightings increase in the fall and winter for a couple of reasons: there is less cover after leaf fall, and coyote families are out and about before the young disperse. Groups of multiple coyotes are to be expected. Like many canids, coyotes form pair bonds that persist from year to year; they are territorial, and the parents are likely to stay in an area where they find shelter and food. Their offspring must leave the family territory to find their own home range, usually in their first year, and hang out with their parents until that moment arrives.
Q: Do coyotes, especially groups of coyotes, pose a danger to humans?
A: Nope. In all of North America, since record keeping began, coyotes have been responsible for just two human deaths. By contrast, dogs kill 30 to 50 people every year. A study investigating 46 years of coyote attacks on people in the U.S. and Canada counted 142 attacks; on average 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs every year. Despite the very low risk that coyotes represent and the ease with which one can guard against even that low risk, people remain afraid. Outdoor cats and unattended small dogs can be coyote targets, however.
Q: What should a person do when confronted by a coyote or coyotes?
A: An actual confrontation — a hostile encounter with an aggressive coyote — would be very rare.
Parents defending a den or pups may challenge or attempt to scare off an intruder, and a coyote accustomed to being fed and too much at ease among people might stand its ground in an encounter. In such situations, the following strategies for diffusing hostility from other predators should be practiced:
- Stay calm; don’t run.
- Make yourself appear larger.
- Walk away slowly while maintaining eye contact.
Much more common are benign encounters with coyotes. Young ones, curious and not yet experienced, may approach you. A coyote that appears to be stalking you as you walk your dog is more likely engaging in what is called escort behavior: following to make sure you move away from their den, perhaps. In these encounters, too, your behavior is very important.
A coyote investigating your garbage can or chicken coop, approaching uncomfortably close, or out and about at midday needs a lesson in caution around humans, and hazing is the proper response. As a favor to the coyote, yourself, and your neighbors and local pets, you want to make the coyote afraid. Make loud noises, throw things; the coyote’s survival depends on it being wary among humans. You do a wild animal no favors by feeding or trying to befriend it.
Q: Neighbors concerned for their own safety or that of their pets have stated the City of Portland needs to control the local coyote population. Is this a necessary step?
A: The Portland Urban Coyote Project sightings map at tinyurl.com/69wwskbt shows upward of 13,000 coyote sightings in the Portland Metro area since 2015. The city would be hard pressed to do anything about such an abundant animal, even if it had the will and resources to try. Recall that despite 200 years of efforts to control coyotes in the U.S., their numbers and range have only grown.
Q: What else do B-W readers need to understand about the urban coyote population?
A: Coyotes are here to stay, and we need to do our parts to ensure it’s a peaceful coexistence. Don’t feed them, on purpose or by accident; keep a close eye on small pets and small children; and learn how to keep coyotes wary of human contact. And, if you can, appreciate the fact that despite all the disruption we have caused the world of animals, here is a creature that has learned to live beside us, making the most of the urban environment.
Many other questions can be answered through the Portland Urban Coyote Project website portlandcoyote.com, which includes a tutorial and links to further resources. Or send an email with your questions to portlandcoyote@gmail.com.