altadenablog

Home invasion: coyotes break through screen Tuesday night in a try for cats

Reader Pat Brayer and her cats had a scary encounter last night at their home near Lake Avenue and Palm Street:

Two coyotes broke through my screen porch, just off my kitchen, to get my cats who were sitting in the screen porch.  I was able to scare them off, and thankfully cats are safe, but a minute longer and they would have gotten one or two of them and actually invaded my home.

In the light of day, Pat wrote us again today:

Now that it's the next day and I can see the damage - on two sides - to the screen porch, I can't begin to tell you how scary it was.  Everyone needs to be especially careful.  They're not fearful of people, sounds or lights anymore.

On a related note, check out this picture from Boulder, Colorado, which also has critter problems.

Council hears about living with coyotes in Altadena

by Timothy Rutt

Yes, there are more coyotes -- and no, there’s not much that can be done about it.

In fact, a county official told the Altadena Town Council: “This is a kind of a dangerous place for small pets --- there’s nothing that’s going to change that.”

Raymond Smith told the Altadena Town Council Tuesday night that Altadena’s coyotes are not necessarily refugees from the Station Fire, as is commonly assumed: Altadena’s coyotes are “wild, but they’re not some kind of pack that would normally live in the Angeles National Forest --- they’re urban coyotes, and they live amongst us.”

Coyotes: your neighbors
Coyotes are one of the animals that do very well next to people, said Smith, the deputy director of the Weed, Hazard, and Pest Management Bureau at the state Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures.  Where the urban and wild interface meet, Smith said, the number of coyotes can be 15 times what can be carried in the wild. Homes and neighborhoods bring water, shade, shelter, food sources such as fruit, trash, and the occasional pet -- all things that increase the land’s carrying capacity for coyotes.

In fact, Smith said, because of urbanization, there are “more coyotes now than ever before in the history of the world, both in numbers and in colonization.” 

Brazen coyote attempts attack Friday morning on Avocado Terrace

Reader Jim Minges, who lives at the 1200 block of Avocado Terrace below New York Drive, sent us a warning this morning:

Our property is completely fenced with a 5 - 6 foot high chain link fence. .At 10 AM today we had a coyote jump the fence, probably in pursuit of our dog. Fortunately, I and two gardeners were in the yard, and were able to chase the coyote around the house, at which point he again jumped the fence and ran across my neighbor's yard to escape. 

I have advised those of my neighbors with small pets ... The problem seems to be getting out of hand, since I have also seen groups of 3 - 4 coyotes at Mendicino and Holliston, as many others have reported. Isn't there anything we or the authorities can do?

Coyote vs. dog on Braeburn/Mendocino Friday

Diane and Verne Williams on the 2300 block of Braeburn (via reader Gillan Silsby) want you to know:

Our beloved dog was killed by a coyote early Friday morning in our yard on Braeburn and Mendocino. Abby went outside (through the doggie door) at about 5 a.m. to go to the bathroom. She was viciously attacked and killed by a coyote who jumped our fence. We found Abby dead in our yard - her neck mangled by the coyote.

Please be careful about letting your animals use doggie doors in the middle of the night and the mornings. This issue with coyotes killing dogs has gotten out of hand - I hope the County and Supervisor Antonovich will do something about this!

Home on the mange at Mendocino & Maiden Lane

Reader Maria McCoy sends this recent photo from Coyote Central:

In response to the recent mange post, I thought I'd send you the picture of the coyote I took while driving south on Maiden Lane (just south of Mendocino) at 6 PM (!) on July 16. This coyote kept on trotting and never looked up. He looks mangey and emaciated. We have a small dog and are very nervous about these coyotes getting into our back yard. Hence the $ we are spending on new gates. We all have to be so careful now.

Update on cat remains: a coyote pack is cruising Dolores

Reader Tim sends us an update on the cat remains he found in the yard earlier this week:

Thanks so much for posting this. As a result the cat has been has been identified as belonging to a neighbor who lives several doors west of Mt. Curve and a few doors from me. The killing was done right here and the cat lived in what was thought to be a secure back yard. It turns out the cat wasn't my pal Otis. He's now a house cat (sorry Otis. It's for your own good) Another neighbor said she's seen a group of  three coyotes "working" Dolores. Two of them stay in the street while one goes from house to house looking for food/prey. The word is out on Dolores to keep pets inside.

Local coyotes may be vulnerable to mange

Reader Kyria Wimberly sent along this photo of a hairless creature coming down Windfall St. to Loma Alta Dr. on July 24, and wondered what it was.

Of course, we sent it immediately to our canid expert Dr. Barkman (Jane L. Brackman, Ph.D) for an opinion.  And it's not good: ...

"If the photo indicates the coyote has no hair, then it looks like the mange problem that has become so prevalent in the south, has spread all the way to southern CA."

Mange is a serious skin disease, where a warm-blooded animal is infested by mites that tunnel under the skin to feed and to breed. It leads to skin irritation, which leads to patchy hair and baldness.  Sometimes the mites burrow under the footpads, making coyotes unable to walk.  Left unchecked, mange can cause death.

A quick online check finds that coyotes are particularly susceptible because of dirty living conditions and frequent malnutrition which can compromise their immune system.

Losing their coat means that coyotes are more vulnerable to their environment, and makes them more likely to go hunting in the day rather than in the cold of night.

We also found a picture from the US Dept. of Agriculture Wildlife Services of a coyote with mange that looks just like Wimberly's photo.  But so far, nobody knows for sure if our local coyotes have mange or if it is spreading.

Found: remains of cat vs. coyote on Dolores Drive

Reader Tim emailed us Tuesday:

I just found the remains of a black cat on my front lawn. All that was left was the head, front legs, long intestine and stomach. It's pretty obvious it was coyotes. I'm a big cat fan and I almost gagged while disposing of it. The stomach was open and fresh cat food was visible so it's definitely someone's pet. I sure hope it isn't "Otis" who lives two doors down. He's been hanging around my yard quite a bit lately.

I live on Dolores Drive, halfway between Lake and Mount Curve. The remains were about 15' from my bedroom window and I didn't hear a thing. I've seen numerous coyotes up the street on Mt. Curve and Mt. Lowe Drive/Park. Perhaps they caught it there and brought it to my yard for "consumption" This is bad neighborhood for an outdoor cat ... I took pics of the remains for ID purposes in case a neighbor feels the need to see if it's their cat. I hope not. They're horrifying.

Email us at altadenablog@gmail.com if you think it's your cat, and we'll put you in touch.

Pack of 8 to 10 coyotes spotted Sunday on Marcheta St.

Reader Salina tells us about seeing a pack of coyotes -- about eight to ten of them, in fact -- meeting up on Marcheta St. between Lake Ave. and Maiden Lane at about 3:20 AM Sunday.  Keep your pets indoors!

UPDATE: Dr. Barkman speaks in the comments.

 

Five coyote pack trolling 2300 block of Morslay Dr. Tues.

View Critter Map 2011 in a larger map

Or so says reader David:

I just thought I would pass along for your critter map that I had a pack of five coyotes in my yard in the 2300 block of Morslay Road at 6:00 AM [Tues.] .  I tapped on the window and they ran to the rear yard and apparently escaped into a neighbor's yard and out to Braeburn.  I have never seen a pack this large before on Morslay and generally it is one or two at time.

Critter activity: bear on Skyview, coyotes on Mar Vista

Reader Amy tells us:

We live on Skyview Drive near Crescent.  A fairly large black bear walked by our kitchen window, in the front yard, at around 6:45am [Thurs.].  It came within five feet of our window and walked into neighbor's yard.  My husband and dog checked our backyard and found evidence of the bear's passing through or perhaps staying the night?  Patio furniture cushions were down and my toddlers inflatable donkey jumper was all the way across the yard deflated with many teeth or claw marks on it.  I walked our street a couple hours later and saw many trash cans turned over and food on the ground.  We called animal control immediately after sighting, but never saw anyone come out.  I know we must learn to live with the bears, but it was our first sighting and in our front and back yard.  We have a toddler and a dog to worry about.  Got to be watchful.  Just wanted to share news with the neighbors.

   And from EveAnna on Mar Vista:

At noon, NOON!, a week ago on 7/7/2011 TWO coyotes were spotted heading into the backyard of 1992 Mar Vista Ave. See photo attached.

Today [July 14] at 7 AM ... a woman was crying and yelling at a coyote ... She had a towel and blanket scooping something up. A pet might have been killed by the coyote. We know no more about this event.

Urine the money

Following Dr. Barkman's suggestion, we went looking for wolf urine to keep the coyotes away -- and where better to start your shopping than at Amazon?  And guess what: Amazon DOES stock wolf urine.

Bad news: they won't ship it to California.  (We didn't know there was ANYTHING forbidden in California other than having a job-creating business). 

Good news: the customer reviews.  We'll leave it at that.

Of course, there's always PMart.

 

 

Coyote Summer: Dr. Barkman puts in her two scents

We are pleased to have a real Ph.D. canid scientist, Jane Brackman, aka "Dr. Barkman," on our list of people who give straight answers to our often-stupid questions.  She sent us this email:

Your commenters are right and wrong.

Coyotes will kill and eat dogs and cats if given a chance. Unfortunately this is what happens when an amateur meets a professional.  And yes, the easier the meal is to acquire, the more likely a hungry coyote will return to the scene of the crime.  
 
On the other hand, rabies is not a problem right now in coyote populations in southern California.  Be more afraid of your cat. If you let cats out at night to roam free you’re providing it an opportunity to be exposed to rabid wild life.  In addition, cat owners are less likely to make sure their cats have the county required rabies vaccination.  
 
Dog owners should be much more concerned about canine parvovirus and distemper.  It isn’t unusual to see large die-offs of coyotes every 15 years or so due to these diseases. Make sure your dog is up to date on her vaccinations.
 
Regarding attacking children, coyote attacks are extremely rare.  But they do happen.  (Your neighbor’s dog is more likely to attack your kid than a coyote.  And the culprit is more likely to be a cocker spaniel than a pit bull, but then that’s another story.)