I received my Tail Mail yesterday and read this... It is so strange to be reading and discussing coyotes! Scary...
Coyotes and Their Urban Habitats
Coyotes are usually associated with rural settings and open plains, but there has been an uptick in coyote sightings over the past month in the New Orleans area. Coyotes are no stranger to urban settings. To protect ourselves and our pets it is important to know why the coyotes frequent our neighborhoods. The answer is simple: food.
To discourage the coyote from returning to your neighborhood start by removing any possible food source including: pet food stored or fed outside, accessible garbage bins and composts, fruit fallen from trees left to rot on the ground, and rat or mouse habitats (wood piles, long grass, birdseed). Additionally, coyotes fed by humans will lose his fear of humans and become aggressive. We also don't know the best diet for coyotes, so feeding him will endanger his health.
Coyotes are a threat to small animals and humans. Small animals can become the coyote's prey, so be sure to keep all pets inside especially during dusk. Humans are at risk because like any wild animal, the threat of disease is imminent.
If you live in Orleans Parish and would like to report a coyote sighting please call 504-368-5191 ext 100. Animal Control Officers are trained to handle these wild dogs, but they are often elusive and cannot be caught in one attempt. LA/SPCA Animal Control Officers will set a trap to catch the coyote in order to create a manageable situation. A community partner will need to monitor the trap and alert Animal Control when an animal has been captured. Do not attempt to engage the coyote in any way. Do not feed, entrap, or try to shoo the animal away. Coyotes will continue to interact within urban environments, but with education we can keep this threat at bay.
