City Park Coyotes Worry Residents

Residents who live around City Park are no strangers to coyote sightings in the area, but lately there’s been a notable uptick in reports. New Orleanians have been seeing the wild looking critters in their yards and going through their garbage cans, and many are concerned about the danger of coyotes in their neighborhoods. Joe Forys, Curator of Large Mammals for the Audubon Zoo, says they’re mostly harmless, and unfortunately, pretty much here to stay in the city of New Orleans. “At some point, we have to recognize that we’re going to be living with coyotes. Coyotes are city dwellers and opportunistic feeders. There are a lot of areas along the river where, if the river is high, they’re going to come out. To a degree they’re here, and we just have to accept that they’re here”, Forys points out. He also suggests keeping any small and vulnerable pets indoors at night as opposed to outside if coyotes have been spotted in the area. While they almost never pose a risk to humans, as opportunistic feeders, they will go after smaller animals when available.

While the sight of a coyote can be frightening for those who have never encountered them, Forys assures New Orleans residents that they’re nothing to be afraid of and will almost always run away if frightened off. “Be confident. Stand your ground. You can yell at it, tell it to go away. They don’t want to fight, even if you see two or three of them together. They’re not pack hunting you or anything like that. If you confidently stand your ground, they will run away from you,” Forys goes on to say. He says the best defense is standing tall and making noise at the animal.

To avoid attracting coyotes to your area, Forys recommends avoiding feeding outside pets or strays. He points out that coyotes are opportunistic feeders who are attracted to pet food and garbage cans. Forys urges residents along City Park to make sure garbage cans are covered and secure, as this will also help to keep coyotes out of your area. He also points out the need for park goers to pick up after themselves to avoid attracting scavengers like coyotes. “People will go out to the park and have picnics or crawfish boils out in the park and just dump trash,” Forys says.  “If you can reduce the feeding opportunities and shelter opportunities, you can reduce the numbers to a degree or send them into other areas.” While coyotes may be here to stay to some degree, mitigating factors that attract them and remaining aware of how to behave around them may help to make the uncomfortable partnership more pleasant.