Although the question of how coyotes arrived on Tybee Island may still be a mystery, one fact is certain — coyotes are here to stay.
While coyotes may be increasingly unwelcome on Tybee Island, shooting, trapping or even relocating them will not solve the community’s coyote-related problems.
Coyotes are smart, elusive animals and are difficult to trap or hunt. The Tybee police department tried setting traps for coyotes on the island, but weren’t able to catch any. Coyote populations reduced by hunting or trapping will respond by having more pups and breeding at earlier ages — resulting in a quick bounce-back in numbers.
Another confounding fact is that vacant habitats created by trapping or other reduction programs are quickly filled by coyotes from neighboring areas. Coyotes will also continue to migrate to Tybee and re-populate any vacant niches, no matter how many are removed.
The secret to resolving conflicts with coyotes on Tybee is to “train” coyotes to avoid people and pets. Coyotes are born with a natural fear of humans and, in most cases, will go to great lengths to avoid us.
Problems begin to arise when coyotes become habituated — that is, they’ve lost their fear of people. This occurs when they learn that neighborhoods provide easy sources of food, such as pet food and garbage scraps, and that people don’t pose a threat to them.
With a few changes, like removing food attractants, keeping pets on leashes and humanely hazing coyotes, we can live peacefully with our wild neighbors.
For those who have seen a coyote, what did you do? If you stood and looked at the coyote, took a picture or worse yet, ran from the animal, you taught the coyote that humans are harmless. Coyotes will relay this information to their family members and become bolder when they come into yards looking for food.
The good news is we can train coyotes to fear us once again, and in turn stay out of our yards and neighborhoods, by hazing them.
Hazing a coyote means scaring them away by yelling and waving your arms, blowing a whistle or air horn, or dousing them with a water gun or squirt gun. Hazing sends the message to coyotes that people should be feared and they will quickly learn to avoid people and neighborhoods.
In addition, remember to remove food attractants from yards because it’s this lovely buffet which attracts coyotes in the first place. It’s essential to keep pets on leashes, keep cats inside and accompany your dog outside.
Despite the panic coyotes have caused on the island, remember that coyotes shouldn’t be feared. By making a few small changes, we can peacefully coexist with coyotes on Tybee and enjoy all the wildlife that surrounds us.
Lynsey White Dasher is the urban wildlife specialist of The Humane Society of the United States. She will lead a seminar, “Living with Coyotes on Tybee Island,” at 7 p.m. Feb. 20 at the Tybee Gym.