Another #urbancoyote shot from #sanfrancisco

While urban coyotes may have a reputation as scavengers or trash-eaters, I would mostly observe them hunting gophers on parks and on hillsides.

#coyote #photography #wildlife #wildlifephotgraphy #Fotomontag

@mokumphoto They take out vermin, that’s true. However, they also go after small pets, even in their own yards. They also can have rabies. So, the less we interact with them, the better. I had to tell my friend to stop encouraging her sons to ‘make friends’ with them, in Vancouver.

@Catawu Yes, people feeding them and encouraging their dogs to play with them are causing most issues with urban coyotes. And they do occasionally attack or kill pets in backyards.

Rabies is extremely rare in California. It is virtually absent in coyotes. Extremely rare in raccoons and, like everywhere else, most prevalent in bats, with skunks being a distant second.

https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/CDPH%20Document%20Library/RabiesSurveillanceinCAAnnualReport2020.pdf

@mokumphoto BTW, it’s probably one of the best pictures of an urban coyote ever. There have been news articles and even documentaries on coyotes in big cities. In Vancouver, they have signs warning people to keep their pets safe. Rabies is rare to begin with (thanks to most pets being vaxxed), but when the outbreaks happen, the wild things are the greatest at risk.
@mokumphoto Kind of interesting how the coyotes became a problem for us here: The property down the hillside was fallow for decades. The owner decided to plant an orchard. The ground work stirred up rats & mice, which all ran seeking new territory. The coyotes followed them. If not for the coyotes, we would have all been over run with rodents. The loss of a pet is a problem, but all things in perspective, you have understanding of how the balance works.
@mokumphoto Not feeding them. Not encouraging the dogs to play with them. They hunt. They hunt small pets. They took my neighbor’s pug out of his back yard, and a few days later, they got my cat. Neither of us encouraged our pets to play with them nor did we feed them. It’s in their nature. It’s what they do. & they’re very good at it.
@mokumphoto Our cat was in our driveway at the time.
@mokumphoto beautiful photo that tells a story. Love it!
@mokumphoto I love this guy so much. Coyotes are such wonderful creatures sometimes.
@mokumphoto
beautiful shot--he's looking right at you!
we see coyotes occasionally in our urban neighborhood. they are so special
@mokumphoto it seems like it's about to say something

@mokumphoto Coyote's get a bad reputation. They are exponentially more prolific in an urban setting because they are so smart, and in a rural setting, they are rodent catchers.

People think they are dangerous because they eat cats, but cats have decimated their food supply, and so they have replaced it with themselves.

Coyotes do not attack people. Coyotes will get your chickens.
Cats are invasive predators.
Coyotes are indigenous.

Coyotes rule.